


Agent's Daughter

by NimrodelOfLothlorien



Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers - Freeform, Marvel - Freeform, Multi, Pre-Avengers (2012)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-20
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-18 19:22:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 42,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3580998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NimrodelOfLothlorien/pseuds/NimrodelOfLothlorien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marian Coulson had been retired for a year when Loki comes seeking to conquer the Earth. For unknown reasons Director Fury pulls her back in. Soon Loki takes notice of her 'uniqueness' and slowly begins to spin his web around her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was early in the morning when Steve Rogers and Phil Coulson had boarded the aircraft and were now on their way to the helicarrier. They had both exchanged very few words when Coulson's phone rang,

"Hello Director." Coulson answered the phone, and listened without speaking as Director Fury, "Are you sure Sir? Yes Sir." the call ended, and he looked to the good Captain, "I hope you don't mind taking a short detour."

"Not at all." Steve nodded, Coulson gave command to the pilot and the aircraft veered to the side, and redirected the course towards the Northeast. "Where are we going to?"

"New Hampshire. A retired agent lives in an isolated area, she has been contacted...but she refused to come in so we have to go get her."

"How did she refuse?" Steve asked.

"Fury believes that she put her phone in a blender." Coulson answered, this was curious to Steve, but it also had an element of humor. Not that he could laugh at such a serious time, but he was tempted.

"So why is this former agent so important." Steve questioned, he was curious why one person was worth calling in from retirement.

"She is one of our top agents, or was; she retired over a year ago, it followed an incident in that took place during her last mission." The aircraft easily made it to it's destination, the house was located a few mines within the forest and laid in a small field. It landed on the field and powered down, and it's ramp dropped.

Agent Coulson walked out with confidence to the porch of the house. Steve looked out and looked at the house, it would have cost a fortune from the looks of it, what drew his attention even more so was the woman standing on the porch.

She had fluffy grey cat in her arms that jumped away from her when Coulson approached an perched itself on the porch railing. The woman herself, was young with caramel curly hair; he could not see much of her face though. So he sat back down and waited patiently.

* * *

"Agent." Coulson said the woman.

"I am not an agent anymore, my name is Marian." she answered.

"You are now, Fury has called you in."

"I heard no such thing." she replied quickly,

"Because you put your phone in the blender."

"Hey!" she said with an offended tone, "I did not put my phone in the blender….it was the garbage disposal." she turned and went inside he followed her. They came to a stop in the kitchen a pot of coffee had been brewed, she poured it into a metal thermos along with sugar and vanilla creamer.

"You have decided to come?" he questioned her.

"Of course I did, the world at stake be stupid of me not to care. I mean common I live here."

"Then why did you put your phone in a blender?"

"I knew that they would send you thinking that you could talk some sense into me." she picked a grey bag off of the floor. "Besides I thought that you would be happy to see your daughter."

"Always, Marian." he smiled at her, she moved outside after picking up a plastic cage.

"I'm taking my cat." the cat saw the cage and hissed, but before it could run away Marian grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and put the creature in the cage.

"I dont think that Fury would like that."

"Tell him that it is my therapy." she said with a small tone.

* * *

Marian climbed the ramp with ease thinking about why Fury wanted her, she was retired and out of practice. Before sitting down on the aircraft she inspected the place, and saw a familiar face.

Steve Rogers. More commonly know as Captain America, she knew almost everything about him due to her father being an ardent admirer.

He stood to greet her.

"Mr. Rogers," she addressed him and held out her hand, "it is an honor to meet you." he grasped it firmly and shook it.

"It is an honor to me you as well, Miss…"

"Coulson, but you can call me Marian."

"Coulson?" he looked between the two Coulsons and asked, "Are you two related."

"Yes." Marian answered. "He is my father."

"Oh." Steve then said. The aircraft began to power up, and the three passengers fastened themselves in the seats that lined either side of the craft. Marian held the cat cage closer as the craft began to take off, the creature inside was giving a nervous wine. Steve decided to continue the conversation.

"Did you really put your phone into a blender?"

"It was the garbage disposal." she said over the sounds of the engine.

* * *

It had been about an hour since they had picked up Marian when the pilot on the intercom said,

"We're about 40 minutes out from the base." Marian had preoccupied herself with reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson, and playing with her cat. Her father had moved over to Rogers who was on a laptop watching a video on the situation that was taking place.

"So, this Doctor Banner was trying to replicate the serum that was used on me?" he seemed somewhat ashamed of that."

"Alot of people were. You were the world's first superhero. Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula." From the video there came a roar and an awful crashing sound.

"Didn't really go his way, did it?"

"Not so much. When he's not that thing thought, guy's like a Stephen Hawking." he said in an admiring tone before he realized that Rogers did not get the reference, "He's like a smart person." he quickly changed to topic, "I gotta say it's an honor to meet you, officially. I sorta of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping." Marian pressed her lips together to keep from laughing, Steve closed the laptop, and stood near her father, who was continuing his previous statement. "I mean, I was… I was present while you were unconscious from the ice. You know it's really, it's just a... just a huge honor to have you on board."

"Well, I hope I'm the man for the job." Steve replied, Marian put her book down and took her cat out of it's cage and placed it on her lap.

"Oh, you are." Coulson reassured him, "Absolutely. Uh… we've made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input." he boasted.

"The uniform?" Steve questioned, "Aren't the stars and stripes a little… old fashioned?" In a grim tone Coulson responded,

"With everything that's happening, the things that are about to come to light, people might just need a little old fashioned." Marian turned her attention away from their conversation and to her cat. She turned her head and saw the helicarrier in the distance, soon they would land.

"What is her name?" her father asked gesturing to the cat,

"His name is Gandalf."

"You always did like that story." he said as the plane landed. The ramp dropped once more and Marian put Gandalf back into his cage and marched off to her old quarters, trusting that it had be assigned to her once more.

 


	2. Chapter 2

As Marian had predicted, her old room had been reserved for her; a few things had been laid out for her. These things included her old uniform, that had been laid on her bed. It was still in good condition, the flexible dark grey fabric had not decayed. The other object that had been left for her was an earpiece, it was fitted perfectly to her ear. The last was a file that she did not bother to read through.

Gandalf meowed loudly from his cage, she opened the lock the pinch of her two fingers. The cat spilled out onto the floor and begged for attention. She played with his soft grey fur for but a moment then unpacked her bags.

Everything was in its place, and Marian had turned to the file that had been left for her. She laid on the bed while her silver eyes scanned the paper. Not much was said just the basics, identifying who Loki was and what the Tesseract was.

Loki was Thor's brother, she knew who Thor was. He was the visitor that proved humanity was not alone in the universe, quite the disturbing thought that humanity was so small compared to all there was. For an unknown reason he has taken the Tesseract, an SHIELD can only consider him a threat to the safety of the Earth. The Tesseract itself was a source of unlimited power that SHIELD's scientist had been researching. Loki had also taken two well known people, one was a scientist who had personally been working with the Tesseract, his name was Dr. Erik Selvig. The other was her friend, Clint Barton, how Loki was able to put changes on the famed Hawkey was something that Marian could not picture.

Marian's earpiece went off, she pressed the small button on the outside of her ear that let her respond.

"This is Agent Marian."

"Agent Marian, welcome back." her friend and old rival said to her.

"I do think that you are going to have to call me by a different name, Marina. Our names are a bit too similar." Marian jested.

"Yes they are, listen are you ready to go into action?"

"Not particularly. Why, what has happened?'

"We have found Loki."

"I will be in the hanger in five minutes." She in an instant had disrobed and put on her old silver uniform, slipped on her boots and grabbed her shoulder holster that held a gun an extra amo, all while slipping a knife into her right boot and strapped a gun to her left leg.

She scratched Gandalf's ears then walked out of the room. With quick legs she moved down the metal hallway and to the hanger where the planes were, all the while putting her unruly hair into a tight bun.

In the hanger Romanoff, and Rogers were waiting for her, as soon as she boarded the Quinjet its ramp closed and the hanger doors opened.

"Where are we off to?"

" Stuttgart, Germany. 28, Konigstrasse." the Captain said. The aircraft flew off into the sky and flew off into the East.

The soft hum of the Quinjet was all that could be heard as they flew to Berlin. Marian's nerves were on edge, she had not been in any sort of combat situation for a prolonged time. She was worried about how she would hold up should a conflict arise.

The plane was approaching Loki's location, they hovered above a crowd of people upon their knees except for two men. Marian guessed that Loki was the one in the ridiculous outfit with a horned helmet, the other was an old man. Rogers opened the Quinjet's ramp just as Loki looked about to kill the old man; Rogers jumped out of the plane to shield the man from a strange sort of energy that came from Loki's scepter. The blue energy flew back and hit Loki, he fell to the ground but quickly stood back on his feet.

When the plane lowered to the ground Marian was tempted to jump after him and almost did so before being halted by Romanoff,

"I would not recommend that, if Loki is on par with his brother you do not want to get in a fight with him."

"Then why did I come here?" Marian almost complained,

"Would you rather be off in woods not knowing what is going on, here you get a front row seat." Romanoff said. Marian closed the back of the aircraft and moved up front so she could observe what was taking place, all the while tuning her ear piece so that she could hear.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." Steve said.

"The soldier. A man out of time." Loki spoke back to him, in a sly manner.

"I'm not the one who's out of time." Romanoff aimed the Quinjet's machine gun at Loki and spoked through the speaker,

Loki, drop the weapon and stand down." Marian could see Loki look slightly towards the sceptre in his hands before firing it at them. The Quinjet moved sharply out of the way, the movement tossed Marian into the side of the craft. The left side of head been bashed into the metal siding, still she pushed herself up.

The Captain immediately threw his shield at Loki, and ran to engage him. Marian, who was on the floor of the Quinjet with possibly a serious head injury got up. On the screens within the craft and could see that the good Captain was losing the fight. Quickly she moved to open the Quinjet's ramp to go and assist him, when she pressed the button the doors were jammed.

"Natasha!" she called out, "The doors are stuck."

"No they are not I locked them."

"Since when do Quinjets have fucking child safety locks?" Natasha did not answer the question and focused on the fight that was on hand, while Marian tired to bypass the locked door. She tried to find an angle to shoot Loki down,

"The guy's all over the place." She complained lightly. Marian stopped her when the PA system was hacked and through the speakers spilled AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill."

"Agent Romanoff," the familiar voice of Tony Stark said, "did you miss me?" The man in the metal suit came quickly to assist Rogers. Marian dashed to the front of the ship to see what was taking place, but by the time she got there the fight was over. Loki had been blasted onto his back, almost every weapon that Stark was aimed at Loki.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games." Loki's scepter was quite a distance away from him, so he outstretched his hands and his armour disappeared.

"Bring her down, and take the child lock off." Marian ordered. The pilot completed, as did Natasha. As soon as the doors dropped Marian moved quickly to the two men. She then gave instructions in both German and English for the crowd to disperse

Rogers grabbed Loki by the shoulders and pushed him forward, Marian followed as did Tony who was looking at her.

"I know you." he said, his eyes squinted.

"Yes you do. I was your assistant, before Agent Romanoff took over for me." they entered the aircraft, Rogers had sat placed Loki in one of the seats on the right hand side of the craft and was strapped down.

"That's right, Marian- Marian-" he was searching for her name, he had obviously had too many assistants to take memory of their names.

"Coulson."

"Coulson." he restated in a blank voice, with a questioning look. "Coulson? Any relation to the Agent Coulson?"

"I am his daughter." she sat opposite to Loki, who was giving her a strange look that she decided to ignore.

"You look nothing like him. Guess that for the better though, be a bit terrifying to see Agent in that," he pointed to her tight uniform, "like some sort of horrific nightmare." The Quinjet took off, Tony and Steve grabbed onto the steel bars of the ceiling to balance themselves.

They had left Germany as soon as they had arrived, Marian guess that they were somewhere over France now. A thunderstorm was brewing in the direction that they were headed, that was just one more thing that Marian did not have any patience for.

She had been recruited for the sheer purpose of watching, she could have stayed at her house and watched from there.

'Front row seat my ass.' She thought, glaring towards Natasha. Perhaps she should just go back to her little home, far away from all of this. Deep whispers drew her attention,

"I don't like it." Rogers said,

"What?" Tony looked to the silent Loki, "Rock of Ages giving up so easily?"

"I don't remember it being ever that easy. This guy packs a wallop." Marian laughed internally at the word wallop, it sounded like something a grandfather would say.

"Still, you are pretty spry for an older fellow." Tony looked Steve up and down, "What's your thing? Pilates?"

"What?" Steve said in confusion

"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle."

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in." he had been agitated by Tony's jest

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you." Marian's eyes snapped to Stark, what he said about Fury was true. Lightning struck near the Quinjet causing it to shake violently, it was so unexpected that it threw Marian from her seat.

Steve, always being a gentleman rushed to her aid; aid that she did not need she had already pushed herself off of the ground to her feet quicker than she had fallen.

"Where's this coming from?" Natasha asked looking up at the sky, Loki was also looking at the sky with fear.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" Steve taunted Loki,

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." the lightning boomed once more, something struck the Quinjet causing a loud thud.

Stark put his helmet on and opened the ramp, wind ripped through Marian's hair,

'This is probably why there is a child safety lock.' she thought

"What are you doing!" Rogers shouted above the wind, grasping onto Marian's forearm. Just then someone jumped and landed straight on the center of the ramp, he was holding a hammer and was dressed rather strangely. Loki looked terrified as Stark raised his hand to defend Loki but he was struck with a hammer and flew back knocking over Marian and Steve as he landed.

The man grabbed Loki by the collar of the shirt and pulled him up breaking the restraints, the he took Loki by the neck as he tried to flee then jumped straight out of the moving aircraft.

The all scrambled to their feet,

"Now there's that guy." Tony grumble,

"Another Asgardian?" Marian questioned

"Think the guy's a friendly?" The Captain questioned further.

"Doesn't matter. If Her frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost." Tony said then promptly turned away to chase after the Asgardian.

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve protested his actions, to which Tony turned around slightly while still walking,

"I have a plan. Attack." as he jumped out of the Quinjet Steve grabbed a parachute and then tossed one to Marian who promptly strapped it onto herself.

"I'd sit this one out, Cap, Coulson." Natasha advised

"I dont see how I can." Rogers responded,

"These guys come from legends, they're basically gods." she warned,

"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."

"Marian!" Natasha protested loudly after Rogers jumped out.

"I didn't come for a front row view Nat." then she jumped.

As Marian fell she could see a fight taking place between Iron Man and the man she assumed was Thor, on a cliff she saw Loki. She pulled her parachute, both her and the good Captain landed quite close together,

"Go find Loki, I am going to handle this." he ran off towards the fight and she looked up to the rocky formation. With great speed she moved towards the wall of it and began to climb.

When she reached the top, Loki was sitting on a rock watching the fight between Tony and Thor. She placed her hand on the gun strapped to her thigh.

"There is no need for that." he said in a cool voice, "Marian." she drew her weapon,

"I didnt think that we were on a first name basis." her voice was as bitter as winter.

"But I have heard so much about, I know you better than you know yourself." Marian squinted her silver eyes at him, "Do you not wish to know what I know?"

"Keep your so called knowledge about me to yourself." she had spent less than two minutes speaking to him and was ready to never exchange words with him again.

"Barton knew plenty of you as well." he said slowly, Clint had obviously told him about their 'involvement,' she was not embarrassed though.

"And I knew plenty of him." she with a strong tone.

"Hey! That's enough!" The Captain's voice came up from the ground. Marian listened closely trying to hear what was going on.

She heard the loud banging of metal on metal, and crashing sounds,

"YOU WANT ME TO PUT THE HAMMER DOWN!" she saw Thor jump high in the air with his hammer raised high and, she looked away from Loki; she saw Thor's hammer crash into the Captain's shield.

A sharp ringing sound ripped through the air, an implosion came from the shield throwing Thor back and snapping a thousand trees like toothpicks. It reached up towards where Loki an Marian sat, they both ducked their heads down to avoid the powerful wave.

Marian lifted her head, and cautiously moved towards Loki, her gun still drawn. The three men had stood up, they were all looking around, shocked at the amount of destruction that they had caused.

"Well, this had turned into an interesting day. Do you not agree Marian?" Loki purred at her.


	3. Chapter 3

While in the Quinjet Marian could feel the tension, judging from the stanced of the men none of them liked each other. Tony and the Captain obviously had contrasting personalities, Thor had just finished dueling with both of them. No one, including the females, had any liking to Loki.

"Romanoff?" Marian grabbed the assassin's attention.

"Yes Coulson." Natasha responded.

"Do you feel that?" Natasha knew what she was talking about, the others did not, causing concerned looks.

"Feel what?" Rogers asked,

"Nothing that you need to be concerned about Cap, and yes I can feel it." Natasha spoke. Marian's lips raised up at the corners, and she gazed around the jet looking at the faces of the men.

"This isnt going to turn out well." Marian mumbled to herself, looking between all of the dominate men, "Fell like I am swimming in and olympic swimming pool of testosterone."

"Testosterone?" Stark said almost offended, she raised an eyebrow at him, just waiting for a snarky comment.

"20 minutes till base." the pilot announced. Tony turned away to the pilot, Marian assumed that he had forgotten his snarky comment. She was a bit disappointed how she did admire a great sarcastic comment.

* * *

**Beep! Beep!**

Marian's earpiece went, she pressed her long finger to her ear, answering the call.

"Marian Coulson."

"Have you reached base?" it was Director Fury.

"Less than two minutes away, Sir." she informed politely.

"When you arrive escort Dr. Banner to the bridge, be there in 30 minutes."

"Yes Sir." she expected the call to be over when he spoke once more.

"Marian."

"Yes Sir." she said once more as the Quinjet made was just docking with the Helicarrier.

"It is good to have you back. Even if it under these circumstances." he said with pride in his voice.

"I cant say that I am happy to be back Director, but I am happy to help." after saying this she removed her finger from the earpiece, ending the conversation with one swift movement.

She went over to the control panel to open the Quinjet's ramp, pressing the button over five times before turning around to Natasha,

"Unlock the goddamn door." with the press of a button the doors unlocked and then fell open. A dozen men were waiting to escort Loki to a holding area, she watched them seal his hands in magnetic locking restraints then marching him off of the craft.

Grabbing the strange scepter she followed Loki's guards knowing that they were going to have to go by the lab where Dr. Banner most certainly was. They walked at a rapid pace, not wanting to have to deal with Loki for any longer than they had to, after all he was a raging, murdering, fiend.

In a very short time they reached the vicinity of the lab, it was brightly lit and many windows. Loki seemed to purposely slow down and look at Banner, with a peculiar smile that said he knew volumes about he that Banner did not know about himself. The Doctor had meet the strange eyes that were looking at him and from the look on his face Marian could see that he was disturbed.

She opened the door quietly, his neck was bent and he had his forefinger and thumb pressed to the bridge of his nose. Making an effort to create noise with the bottom of her boot she moved in to the lab.

"Doctor," he looked up while pushing his glasses up on his nose, "I have been sent to escort you to the bridge. I also," she raised the scepter a bit, "have a preset for you." she placed it on a display stand. Banner approached the table, and bent down.

"What is that?"

"Loki had it, he was able to discharge some sort of energy from it." she looked at the clock on the wall, "We should go to the bridge, Doctor." she pulled him away from his inspection of the scepter.

"Yes, of course." he straightened out his back, she moved back to the door opening it for him to go first, he nodded his head then proceeded through the opening.

"Are you enjoying your stay, Doctor." she made polite conversation as she walked down to the bridge with him.

"It is a bit different from what I am used to."

"I would expect, Calcutta is a very different place."

"You've been?" he asked

"On a mission, once, about a year and a half ago. It was not a pleasant trip."

"One could only wonder why it was not pleasant."

"I would tell you Doctor, but while I am and agent it is classified." the doors to the bridge slid open, "But I can tell you that it so unpleasant that I turned in my retirement papers five months later and was gone within two weeks." He seemed enticed to hear the rest of the story, but there were things more important than a story.

"What was your name again?"

"Marian Coulson." they made their way over to the table where Rogers, Romanoff, and Thor were gathered round. Thor had dressed down to something that she assumed was more casual for him. The monitors located round the table were lit with the image of Loki being sealed into a glass cage, with his restraint remove, while Director Fury looked on.

" In case it's unclear. You try to escape. You so much as scratch that glass." the Director pressed the button opening the massive doors that lingered beneath the glass container. Loki peered as far out as he could from his cell, "Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" Fury shut the hatch, and pointed to Loki, "And." then he pointed to the button, "Boot." Loki seemed amused by all of this, and smirked

"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."  
"Built for something a lot stronger than you." Marian unconsciously looked to Banner, but quickly corrected herself and looked back to the screen.

"Oh, I've heard." Loki seemed to know where the cameras were, and looked deeply into it. "The mindless beast, makes play he's still a man. And the girl, that you keep the truth of herself from. How desperate are you, that you call upon such lost creatures to defend you?" Marian looked into the screen, thinking back to earlier that day, Loki had said that he knew her better than herself.

"How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to talk about peace and you kill cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that

you did." Director Fury had never sounded so angry.

" Ooh. It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is." Loki was toying with him as one would toy with his prey.

"Well, you let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something." Fury turned away from Loki and the picture on the screen turned black. A world of silence hung in the air, before Banner was bold enough to speak,

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?"

"Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor,what's his play?" Steve asked looking for tactical information to benefit them.

"He has an army called the 're not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract." Thor informed Steve who raised his eyebrows.

"An army? From outer space?"

"So he's building another portal." Banner informed, "That's what he need Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor's voice was surprised and worried.,

"He's an astrophysicist." Marian told him

"He's a friend." Thor responded, then turned slightly away. Natasha then took part in the conversation,

"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours."

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him." Steve pointed out the obvious, "He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him." Marian looked to Banner and smiled slightly after he said that.

"Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother." the deep voice of Thor declared.

' _Defending his brother, even after all he has done.'_ Marian thought.

"He killed eighty people in two days." Natasha said smoothly,

"He's adopted."

Banner was looking at the file once more, "Iridium, what did they need the Iridium for?" from across the room the well known voice of Tony Starks called out,

"It's a stabilizing agent." He was walking towards them with Phil Coulson, Marina's father.

"I'll fly you there." Coulson volunteered, "Keep the love alive. Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD." Stark did not seem to notice Coulson and addressed Thor,

"No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing." he then tapped Thor in the bicep lightly and turned to Banner, "Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants." Marian guess that he was referring to the Iridium. He turned around, now facing towards the front of the ship, "Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the top sails." he pointed to his right, "That man is playing Galaga!" Everyones head swerved to see what he was talking about, "Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did."

Stark had gradually made his way over to the control panel, and seemed dumbfounded; he covered one eye, mocking Fury, "How does Fury do this?"

"He turns." Agent Hill told him, he turned

"Well, that sounds exhausting." he slid his hand along the metal framing of one of the screens while looking through some of the words that appeared on the screen. He once again turned around, " The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Hill asked raising an eyebrow.

"Last night." he answered simply, "The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?" Stark seemed disappointing.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve questioned.

"He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." the good Doctor answered, Tony seemed to be happy that someone understood,

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally, someone who speaks English." Tony walked to Banner, leaving the rest confused

"Is that what just happened?" Steve said as Stark and Banner were shaking hands,

" I don't believe that was English, Mr. Rogers" Marian agreed with him, they had matching furrowed brows.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled." While Marian was watching this scene she could not help but think that they were going to have a 'bromance,' "And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." Dr. Banner seemed a bit taken aback and looked to the ground,

"Thanks."

"Dr. Banner," Director Fury called walking in holding Gandalf in his arms, " is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him." he spoke to Stark.

"Why do you have my cat?" Marian asked, .

"Why did you bring a cat on board?" Fury countered.

"He's my therapy." he threw the cat on the table, "Hey! Don't throw him, he is a living creature."

"Let's start with that stick of his." Steve got them back on topic, "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys." Marian thought of Clint, he was a colleague, but besides the fact that they have done the beast with two backs, she did not consider herself all that close to him.

"Monkeys? I do not understand." Thor grumbled.

"I do!" Steve said excitedly, "I understood that reference." Marian bit her tongue to keep from laughing, while Tony rolled his eyes into another dimension.

"Shall we play, doctor?" Tony asked Dr. Banner playfully.

"Let's play some." he responded, as they walked out Marian looked to her cat who had seemed to take an interest in Thor.

"Gandalf," the cats head swiveled around, "don't be a beggar." she got up from her chair and grabbed the fluffy creature.

"Agent Marian," her father called, "You are to guard Loki's cell."

"Yes Sir." she spun on her heel and left the bridge, out of the corner of her eyes she saw a game of Galaga being played.


	4. Chapter 4

With Gandalf in her arms Marian walked to her room, deciding she should drop Gandalf off before she went to Loki's cell. While in her room she took a quick moment to let her hair down and run her fingers through the kinky curls, before leaving she grabbed a book not even looking at the title.

"Meow." Gandalf called.

"I can't take you everywhere darling." with that Marian closed the door and began the walk to Loki's cage. The lights irritated her eyes and the hum of the ship's power source gave her a headache. She grinded her teeth, trying to ignore the sensations.

Throught the many twists and turns she went, and she began to think intently of what Loki had said to Fury, how she did not know herself. Deep down Marian knew that Fury and her father had kept things hidden from her, but that was just business, something that could not be helped.

Large steel doors blocked her way, in front of them stood two guards heavily armed, who stood shoulder to shoulder.

"I have been assigned to guard Loki." she told them, they looked to each other then back to her, "Well are you boys going to get out of my way?"

"We are not supposed to let anyone through, Miss." one said nervously.

"Thats Agent to you; also Im not just anyone, am I?" neither of the men know how to answer this, and just looked at her, slightly unhinged. "Let me pass." she commanded them. One broke his shoulder away from the other to open the door, and the remaining one shifted out her way. "Thank you boys." she said demeaningly while swaggering through the doors that led to another hallway. About ten minutes later she finally arrived in the holding area.

There Loki was in the glass prison, standing with his back to her.

"Hello, Marian." every word dancing from his lips, "How are you doing on this fine day?" she looked to him with her winter eyes and leaned against a wall. The cold of the through her clothing, making her shift her shoulders ever so slightly.

The book in her hand, as she observed, was A Song of Ice and Fire, the first book in the Game of Thrones series. She peeled open its pages an tired to read the first sentences only to have the words interrupted by Loki,

"You cannot ignore me forever."

"I can try, your royal jackass." she said in a monotone voice.

"Such venomous words, women should not speak in such a manner." she let her laughter spill past her lips, and slammed the book shut.

"Women should speak in what ever  _manner_  in which they please, no one decides how I speak." Marian was baffled, a man trying to tell her how females should talk, "No one ever will." He smiled at her.

"You have a fire that burns behind your eyes, I suspect that you came here with questions for me." he stated.

"I was sent here to guard you; but if you want to tell me the location of the Tesseract I would be much obliged."

"I shall tell you the same as I have told my brother, I know not where it is." walked closer to the glass, in effect closer to her. He placed his hand on the glass that stopped him from getting any closer to her, "Do you not wish to know what I know about you?" he asked her

"No." he was genuinely surprised, "The secrets that have been kept hidden away for a purpose."

"I know what took place a year and a half ago in Calcutta. How you defeated a cluster of SHIELD's enemy, very impressive, if I might say so. Yet within your mind you cannot remember how you did this, nor can you recall the days before. Your Director Fury, and the higher ranking SHIELD members know." he moved like a cat away from the glass, "I know."

She kept her face like stone, while debating whether to ask. No one had told her what had happened, no one would, even after she asked. Loki seemed earnest in this topic, but she had read the legends about him. He was renowned for his silver tongue, he could lie like no other and spin tale so detailed that one would have to believe.

"Even if I asked you to tell me, which I assume you will do without me asking, how will I know if you are telling the truth?" she closed the book, pushing herself off the glass she walked around the cage to the small plank that led right to the cell, he circled round with her while she spoke, "There are stories, legends even, about how excellent of a liar you are." she moved forward over the platform, soon her strides brought her to her destination. There was very little space between her and Loki, along with two inches of bullet proof glass.

"They still tell stories of me?" he smiled looking down from his height onto her.

"Who could forget such a trickster. You know there is a story out there in which you sleep with a horse?" his eyebrows snapped together,

"That never happened." his voice rang with confusion with hints of agitation.

"Well, about a thousand years or so ago someone said it did." she said in a bemused voice, "Maybe it happened and you just dont rember it."

"I do think that I would remember such and incident."

"The story also said that it resulted in a pregnancy, and I do not take you as the fathering type. So it can't be true." she leaned on the railing that lined the platform and rested there for a long moment thinking about what Loki confessed to knowing. Turning her head she met his eyes, he had been staring at her all the while, "So, I'll bite, what do you think that you know about me."

"Bite?" he seemed more confused than Rogers was.

"I'll take the bait?" she said slowly, waiting to see if he understood. His eyebrows settled and he smiled, he was too happy it seemed to tell her what he knew.

"It is a strange tale, one that would take too long to tell."

"Then why did you mention it?"

"Marian, I still have a way of making you aware of what you are." she felt exposed standing so close and had the urge to move away,"There is no need to fear."

"Who said I was afraid?" she spoke daringly, turning sharply to face him causing her curls to fly about her face and in front of her breasts. A smile had been painted upon his face, now she could not back down from what he wished of her.

"Well then, if you are not afraid…." his smile grew and his eyes burned in to her's, "then we can begin."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Marian took a deep breath and stepped closer to the glass, and asked "How?" Loki moved slightly away from the glass, and parted his lips to let his silver tongue graze his lips.

"You might wish to sit for this love."

"I am not your love." her silver eyes hardened, "Why do I need to sit?"

"We are going to be a demonstration." he returned to where he once stood, "It would be easier if you relaxed." Marian's eyes narrowed to slits, but she begrudgingly sat in front of the glass case. She leaned back on her hands letting her fingers feel the cold metal below by drawing patterns on the floor.

Loki crouched down to her level and observed her, "Close your eyes." he commanded.

"No please?" she said sarcastically while closing her eyes.

"Sit up straight." she did as he told by bending her knees under her and resign her hands on her knees.

"Now what?" she asked impatiently.

"Relax, Marian." his voice was deep and calm, "Let your mind become empty, a void…." She poured her thoughts out, like water from a cup. "Feel the power writhing through you, can gather it in together within your breast." Once again she followed his orders, it feeling all of the energy within her and storing in within her chest.

A long silence followed before Loki spoke once more, "Now…. force the energy outwards from your being."

"I dont think that this is-"

"Shhh…" he said softly like one would say to a lover, "concentrate." And so she did as he wished, convinced that this was all just play and not at all real. The power that she had collected in her belly was forced outwards through her bone, muscles and finally her skin. It was a strange feeling, but strangely pleasurable, even though it was most likely all in her mind.

"Marian," he called her attention, "open your eyes." Eagerly Marian opened her silver eyes to look about her. Every inch of the world that she could see was tinted with a silver hue. So she rubbed her eyes trying to clear her sight but the silver tinge remained. Observing it closer she slowly moved her hand through the sliver air. Small sparks danced over her fingers as she twitched them.

"What…" she murmured. The silver substance made her skin tingle, and her whole form shake.

"It is a visualisation of your power." Loki answered, looking at her in awe. She moved her limbs through the strange substance enjoying the new feeling. It was nothing less than euphoric.

The light of the silver energy flickered, and collapsed inwards back into Marian's flesh. She jumped straight on her feet, having been successfully startled. Sweat dotted her forehead as she thought over the past few moments.

Loki laughed as he straightened his legs to stand as well, "You have great potential, Marian."

.

Marian reached to her ear to answer the call, she knew what it would be about. After all she had fraternized with a prisoner, against the rules. Perhaps who ever was calling could give her some answers.

"Agent Coulson." It was Stark.

"Stark." she paused, "How did you get into the communications system?"

"I'm a genius, never mind that, get down to the lab."

"Did you stop and think that maybe I might be busy, you know, doing my job?" she questioned him

"No." she could practically hear him shrug his shoulders. "Just get down here."

"Star-"

"Now." he cut her off then ended the call. She let go of the button, and let her eyes move to Loki then spun around on her heel.

"Farewell, Marian." Loki called as she moved away from the cage.

"I'll be back soon." her voice was echoed with irritation. Her feet marched her out of the room, down the hallway to the guarded steel door. The two guards gave her hell, once again, but soon let her pass as soon as she pulled rank.

"Dick bags." she mumbled just loud enough for them to hear, and she relished the feeling of their glares on her back. The walk was not as far as she remembered and she was soon at the doors of the lab,

"Speaking of dick bags…" she said before opening the door. "What do you want?" she made her presence known to the three men who occupied the room. All of their heads tuned at the same time,

' _Ohh…'_  she thought, ' _synchronization.'_ She held back her words, and laughter. "So... are you going to answer me, or just stand there and look pretty?"

 


	6. Chapter 6

Stark looked her up and down, and grinned slightly as Banner and Rogers stood idly by,

"I thought this room could use a pretty face." he stated.

"Why? It already has three gorgeous faces." she smirked at the three men, and gauged their reactions and was amused by what she saw. Banner smiled slightly and returned to his work, Stark's smile was no surprise, and Rogers looked just the slightest bit embarrassed. "What do you actually want me for?" she asked Stark.

"I just wanted your opinion on something." he held out a silver package that contained blueberries, she shook her hand as a sign that she was not interested,

"What did you want my opinion on?" she moved to the table where Loki's scepter was and observed the blue light that radiated from its point.

"I want to know why Fury called us," he gestured around the room to Rogers and Banner, "in now, and not before." he put another blueberry into his mouth,

"And you think that I would know this?"

"Well maybe, but I would not need to ask."

"Get to the point, Stark." she grumbled.

"Okay, so, I have a decryption programmer breaking into all of SHIELD's secure files." she looked at him as if he were insane, "Why are you looking at me as if I have turned into a donkey?" he asked.

"Well maybe it is because you are a jackass, what you are doing is treason." her head rotated to Banner and Rogers, "Did you two know about this?" Banner just shook his head and returned to his work.

"No, Miss. Coulson, I was unaware of Mr. Stark's actions." Stark rolled his eyes,

"Why would you call me here, I am temporarily a SHIELD agent. What would make you think that I would not tell Fury about this."

"Because one of the first files that I have uncovered is about you." Stark answered perfectly, " Something about a mission, over a year ago in you might want to take a peak, also I want to know you opinion on what I am doing."

"My opinion?" she repeated, "My opinion is that this is treason." She thought about what had just taken place, the strange energy that had come from her flesh. That file had the answers to what had happened on during those days that she had no memory of, "I also think that you should give me that file." In perfect timing Rogers rolled his eyes and sighed while Stark grinned like a mad man,

"I knew that I would win you over."

"Just find the cube." Rogers stated before storming out of the lab.

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about?" Stark said looking through the glass that Rogers was walking by, as he handed Marian a glass table. "Wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice."

"The guy's not wrong about Loki. He does have the jump on us." Banner spoke half-heartedly. Marian took a seat near Banner and began to read the revealing text.

"What he's got is an ACME dynamite kit. It's gonna blow up in his face, and I'm gonna be there when it does." Banner moved away to a distant control panel and Marian decided to drown out the sound of their conversation, not wanting to eavesdrop on their blooming romance.

* * *

 

**Date**

March 12, 2009

**Mission No.**

10031904

**Location**

Calcutta, India

**Agent**

Marian L. Coulson

**Objective**

Eliminate target(s) attempting to obtain Bruce Banner's DNA to sell on the black market.

**Report**

M. Coulson tracked the target(s) down to their base, a warehouse on the edge of the city. Multiple targets had established base, Coulson with inaccurate info. advanced to the location where Coulson was overwhelmed by the persons occupying the warehouse. At approximately 9 hundred hours an explosion caused by a force exterminated all life forms within the building including microscopic organisms. Coulson survived. All 50 targets were eliminated, Coulson was left with a damaged memory, not being able to recall the previous three days. The 50 deceased's nervous systems were damaged by the explosion, they are thought to have died on impact.

* * *

 

It is not unknown what caused the explosion.

' _Thats it?'_  Marian thought and slammed down the glass table so hard that it shattered and splintered, this grabbed the attention of Banner and Stark.

"Didn't like what you read?" Stark asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Marian growled she ran her fingers through her hair and held her head between her hands.

"I thought I had anger issues." Banner said under his breath as he stepped over the glass on the floor.

"Whats up sport?" Stark said as he clasped her shoulder, she looked at his hand and thought about telling him to push off, instead she looked to Banner,

"Remember when I told you I had a mission in Calcutta?" she asked.

"Yes, I asked more about it, but you said that it was classified."

"The reason it was classified, was because I dont rember the majority of time that I spent there."

"Amnesia?" Stark questioned

"Acute, amnesia. I lost the events of the three days before an incident occurred." she moved a bit away from Stark, "I was sent to Calcutta to eliminate a group who sought to obtain your DNA, Doctor, the file says that I was able to track them down to a warehouse. But I was given inaccurate information about the number of people I was tracking. Apparently when I arrived, I was out numbered. At 9 hundred an explosion occurred, killing all living things including microorganisms." Banner lifted his head from his work seeming intrigued, "I somehow lived while the 50 agents had severe damage to their nervous systems, in the file it said that they knew what caused the explosion."

"So what caused the explosion?" Stark asked,

"If I knew that I would not be here talking to you, no matter how beautiful I find you."

"Fair point." he walked away to another screen, "Are you going to clean that up, or is there a cleaning staff?" he gestured to the glass that was scattered on the lab table and floor. She moved to the corner of the lab where a dust pan and broom were hidden in between the wall and a cabinet.

"I got it." she slowly began to sweep up the glass, "Mr. Stark, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything for you beautiful." he smiled.

"If any more files come up involving me...could you tell me?"

"As long as you don't tattle on me."

"Inform me of all files involving me, and Nick Furious will not hear a word from me." She poured the glass into a waste bin in the wall, "Now I will be on the bridge." Marian pushed the button causing the doors to open,

"If you see Agent tell him I said hello." Stark requested,

"Which Agent?" Marian asked, "There are over a hundred on board."

"Your dad," he waved his hand in a lazy manner, "Get out." Marian moved away from the lab, on her way to the bridge. She knew that Fury was hiding something from her, and she knew that her father would tell her if she begged. How she did hate to beg, but this was something that she needed to know.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Marian's left foot was in the bridge before the doors had slid open fully. Her father was in a conversation with Thor when she walked up to him, purposefully making noise with her feet. Halting herself at about three feet she waited for the conversion to be done with.

Jane Foster's record was drawn up on a SHIELD monitor where Thor was standing with Marian's father.

"As soon as Loki took the doctor we moved Jane Foster." Coulson informed Thor, "We've got and excellent observatory in Traunsee. She was asked to consult their very suddenly yesterday. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe." Thor drifted his eyes away from the monitor to Coulson,

"Thank you. It's no accident Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread what he plans for him once he's dont. Erik is a good man."

"He talks about you a lot. You changed his life. You changed everything around here."

"They were better as they were. We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced, but we... we come here battling like Bilchsteim."

"Like what?"

"Bilchsteim? You know; huge, scaly, big antlers. You don't' have those?"

"Don't think so."

"They are repulsive, and they trample everything in their path." Thor moved away from the monitor to the window causing the two Coulson's to follow, "When I first came to earth, Loki's rage followed me here and your people paid the price. And now again. In my youth I courted war." Fury who had just marched in spoke,

"War hasn't started yet." Fury walked closer to the group, "You think you can make Loki tell us what the Tesseract is?"

"I do not know. Loki's mind is far afield, it's not just power he craves, it's vengeance upon me. There's no pain that would prize his need from him." Thor answered

"A lot of guys think that, until the pain stops."

"What are you asking me to do?" Thor questioned, Marian's father tapped her on the arm signaling her to move away from the conversation.

"Why did you leave your post." he said not as a father, but as a commander.

"I needed to talk to you." she answered with a hint of desperation in her voice.

"About what?" he asked, transforming into a concerned father.

"Mission 10031904, in Calcutta over a year ago."

"The Banner mission? I thought you had that all sorted?"

"Yes, and as did I, but what happened in that wearhouse."

"You got lucky, that's what happened." she could tell that he did not wish to discuss this, but she was never one to let things go so easily.

"I believe there was more to it than luck." she followed him out of the bridge, "With your permission, Agent, I would like to access those files." she wished to know if he would let her read those files that she had already seen.

"Denied." he stopped in his tracks

"Why?" she halfway pouted.

"Because I said so."

"Such a bad answer." she grumbled knowing that she would not get anything out of him. So she decided to change the subject, "Hows that woman you have been seeing, the cellist?" she searched her memory for her name, "Audrey Nathan."

"She is doing wonderful." he answered and handed her a sheet of paper. "Perhaps you should visit her sometime." Marian tried to glance at the paper, but her father grabbed her attention once again, "Untill then return to your post." she held the paper down to her side suddenly forgetting her want to read the words.

"Yes Sir." he turned away and walked back towards the bridge, so she placed a foot forward to go to her post.

"Marian," her father called out to her causing her head to snap back,

"Yes Sir." she said once more, he seemed as if he wished to tell her a world of words.

"Never-mind, I'll see you soon."

* * *

Passing through the same path once more Marian made her way to Loki's cell. The two guards stubbornly opened the doors for her, and as she walked with silent feet to Loki, she heard two voices. Both Loki and Natasha were talking, sensing that this was a clever trick of Romanoff's, Marian kept herself hidden.

"I wanna know what you've done to Agent Barton." Marian thought that she sounded as if she were trying to be his friend.

"I'd say I've expanded his mind." Loki smoothly responded to Natasha.

"An once you've won? Once you're king of the mountain? What happens to his mind?"

"Is this love, Agent Romanoff?" he teased Natasha. Marian rolled her eyes, Romanoff did not love Clint in the way a woman loves a man, but like a sister to a brother.

"Love is for children. I owe him a debt." Marian moved a bit out of the way to see what was happening, Loki had stepped back to the bench and took a seat.

"Tell me." he commanded, so Natasha pulled up a seat.

"Before I worked for SHIELD, I uh….well, I made a name for myself." Natasha began to explain, "I have a very specific skillset. I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me, he made a different call."

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him." Loki actually sounded as he was considering this, and Natasha sounded earnest in her words.

"Not let you out." Loki's laugh echoed outwards from the glass cage

"Ah, I like this. Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man?"

"Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian...or was."

"What is it you want?"

"It's not really that complicated. I've got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out."

"Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Drakov's daughter? São Paulo? The hospital fire? Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything?" he stood sharply, seemingly enraged, "This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer…..PATHETIC!" he screamed at her. "You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away?"

BOOM!

Loki's fist collided with the glass of his cell and Natasha jerked back, "I won't touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you! Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knows you fear! And when he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you mewling quim!" He yelled this at Natasha while looking in her eyes and on the very last syllable she turned away quickly, leaving her back facing Loki.

"You're a monster." she whimpered, Loki laughed once again

"No," his word lingered, "you brought the monster." Marian's face split into a smile, finding this scheme of Natasha's to be her best work. Natasha broke character to face Loki with a straight face,

"So, Banner...that's your play." Loki's sneering was put to rest and replaced by confusion,

"What?" Natasha's finger pressed the button on her ear piece,

"Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I' on my way. Send Thor as well." her ever changing eyes went to Loki, "Thank you for your cooperation." Marian emerged from the nook in her corner to smile and nod in approval of Romanoff's work. Romanoff seemed to have no time for Marian's sly smile and rushed off without even a glance at her.

With a glare in Romanoff's direction, Marian moved to stand in front of Loki. He still seemed baffled that he had been fooled,

"Lying to a lie god." Marian huffed, "She is good." Loki's eyes burned with rage as he looked to her, before turning away to sit on the far side of the cage. "Well then...go ahead and pout."

"I do not pout." he stated.

"Then what do you call what you are doing right now?" she squinted her eyes and cocked her head to the left, "Sulking? Seething?"

"Thinking." his voice smoothly spoke. Marian's right eyebrow raised and picked up the paper in her hand. It held an address, a code, and a file name.

' _Well at least I know I'll have something to do when this is over.'_ she thought, but could not help to wonder what this was, or why her father gave it to her. It seemed to hold no meaning, but everything that her father did had meaning. Marian glanced about the room, to see the book she tossed aside and hour or so ago. Without thought she moved to take it in her hand, when she did so she folded the paper and placed it within the pages of the hardcover book.

* * *

The soft hum of the ship took over for about 15 minutes before Marian became deeply disturbed by Loki's senseless stare. She checked her watch on her left wrist, the sun would be rising within the hour.

"Whats on your mind, Lucky Loki?" She questioned in a rat-tat-tat rhythm.

"I do believe that you know."

"Conquest?"

"Well, for one yes." he swaggered away from the bench, "Another, is you."

"Quite the charmer." she spoke lamley, "Must work on all of the ladies."

"Never had much interest in ladies, but women. Women are fine, ladies, have always seemed so frivolous to me." It took Marian a long moment to realize that he was talking about ladies of the court, such as in the Medieval times. Her mind changed quickly to another topic,

"Why did you not mention Barton to me? Tease me with how you would make him suffer like you did me?" He moved to the glass.

"I knew that he did not mean much to you, a lover of the flesh, but not of the mind nor soul. He views you differently though."

"Well, I hope that discussion never comes to pass, it could be a bit awkward." she crossed her arms placing the Game of Thrones book in the crook of her elbow.

**Boom!**

An explosion shook the ship sending Marian over the railing of the bridge that led to Loki's cell. Marian hung by the nails of her fingers, the book laid just before her fingers. She tried to pull herself up, but she could not she did not have the grip for it.

"Yes it would be quite an awkward conversation, you do not seem the woman to commit." as Marian dangled she glared at Loki,

"Do you mind?" he placed his hand up effortlessly,

"Not at all, Marian."

 


	8. Chapter 8

The Helicarrier was swinging every which making it difficult for Marian to not fall and smash her skull on the metal that laid beneath. Marian could hear her earpiece going off the rails, multiple people were trying to contact her. Knowing that she was needed she ground her teeth and pressed her fingers into the grate of the flooring. Slowly but surely, she clawed her way upwards getting her torso on the flooring she swung her left leg up and over the platform. She propped herself up, leaving her right leg hanging over the edge, and pressed the button in her earpiece.

"Agent Marian Coulson." she halfway yelled.

"What the hell have you been doing?" her father's voice yelled back.

"Hanging out?" she put a small inflection in her voice to make it seem a question. She could feel him shake his head over the com. system.

"We are being attacked"

"I picked that together, the explosion and all."

"One of the turbines is out. I believe that this is and attempted rescue for Loki, can I count on you to deal with his minions."

"Yes Sir." she said as she always did.

"I will be down there as soon as I can." there was a suspension in the air before the call ended, "Marian?"

"Yes Sir."

"Be…" he held his words back once more, "Be careful."

"Of course, Sir." with the press of her father's finger the call was ended.

Boom! Bang! Crash!

ROAR!

The sounds of destruction came from the far side of the ship. Strange sounds of metal tearing as paper would and the beastly roar that she had only heard once before. The Hulk had been unleashed; Marian twisted herself around towards Loki.

His haunting smile split across his face once more, his eyes glided to Marian as she pulled herself up of the floor.

"I think your friends are here." the ship jerked violently, Loki who had always seemed in control seemed as stable as a mountain. Marian on the other hand had to grasp onto the railing to keep in place.

"That they are." His head raised so that he had to look down his nose at her, "And now I have a proposition for you…. Marian."

"And this is the perfect time to tell me all about it!" she braced her feet against the railing.

"This is the only time, considering that you sky ship shall soon fall into the sea."

"Sky ship?" the Helicarrier veered to the side once more, after she adjusted herself she focused on Loki, "One it is called a Helicarrier; two, what in the name of this God's green earth, would ever make me even consider listening to a proposition that came from you? Who might I just say enjoys causing pain and has killed over 50 people in about two days."

"I can give you the truth, the one that has been kept from you for the longest time. The thing that has forever eluded you shall do so no more." Marian looked to him, wishing to hear more but she knew that his promises were empty. The creaks and groans of the ship caused her to yell,

"Let me guess, all you want me to do is open the door for you!"

"No...my dear Marian, I can do it myself." the ship became stable, she squinted her eyes into question marks, he answered the question in her eyes by pointing behind her. The hair upon the back of her neck rose, slowly she turned, only to catch a glimpse of a reflection of Loki before he struck her skull.

Loki's reflection gripped her by the neck and eased her down to the floor. The cold of the metal floor cradled her; Marian's eyes were half open she tried to force her way up before Loki's reflection opened the door to the true Loki's cell.

"My proposition is…and always will be there, Marian." Her head clunked to the ground, and rolled to her left. The sound of the doors sliding open moved the silence,

"No!" a thunderous voice called out, over her the famed Thor ran over Marian's unconscious body to charge the fleeing Loki, only to be fooled as Marian was. Falling through a reflection of Loki into the cage, and the doors closed behind Thor, sealing him in.

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" Loki questioned as a the footsteps of a combat booted soldier marched into the room with Loki's scepter.

Boom!

Thor slammed his hammer, Mjӧlnir into the glass walls of Loki's former cell. It shook the ship and fractured the glass. Loki tensed for a moment, in anticipation for the whole glass case fall downwards. When he realized that Thor would not go plumbed to his death, Loki smiled and swaggered forward to the prison's control panel. Before addressing Thor, he bent down to Marian's discarded book and took it in his hand and looked down to her unconscious form.

"Take her." he ordered his guard who secured her over his shoulder and marched out of the room through the small exit on the far side of the room. Loki then looked to Thor, "The humans think us immortal. Should we test that?" His finger hovered of the big red button that would drop the glass cell downwards.

"Move away, please." the voice of Phil Coulson commanded the would be king. In his hands was a bulky weapon prototype, Loki moved away slowly from the control panel the book still in his hand, "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does." he cocked the weapon, "Do you wanna find out?" The second his sentence was finished a blade ripped through Coulson's chest. Loki had fooled everyone once more, and made a reflection of himself while his true self had crept up behind Coulson with his scepter.

"Nooo!" Thor called out as Coulson eased himself against the wall and the reflection of Loki faded, leaving the hard cover book to slam against the floor.

"Tis a pity," Loki took the book in his hand, "I'll have to tell his…  _daughter_." he the word daughter loosely. Loki swaggered over to the fallen book and took it in his hand, and proceeded to the control panel. Thor and Loki gave each other once last look, then Loki with ease pressed the button opening the door and dropping the glass case into the air. His eyes held no remorse as he closed the hatch and began to leave.

"You're gonna lose." Coulson's weak voice spoke, Loki halted his movement and turned,

"Am I?"

"It's in your nature."

"Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky, I am now in possession of one of SHIELD's best kept secrets...where is my disadvantage?"

"You lack conviction." Loki was becoming irritated with the dying man and made a move forward

"I don't think I…"

**BOOM!**

Coulson pulled the trigger of the experimental weapon that sent Loki through the wall, he then laughed,

"So that's what it does."

* * *

Loki had arrived at the Quinjet that had come to take him away from the Helicarrier. Barton was missing, but he could not care less, he still had a large number of men working for him one man made no difference. He spied Marian, who was on the verge of consciousness, restrained.

Her strange eyes eased open and were filled with panic and she moved to defend herself only to find her hands were in handcuffs.

"What the hell?" her head was filled with pain, making her believe that she had a concussion. The ramp of the Quinjet close and the aircraft took off with immense speed. "Where are you taking me?" she asked without looking at Loki.

"You'll see once we arrive." He took a seat by her, "Is this book as interesting as its cover?" Only silence answered him, still he pulled the pages apart. The paper that Marian's father gave to her slipped out, Loki caught it with ease and unfolded it. "Now, what is this?"

"I don't know, my father gave it to me." Marian followed him with her eyes, his long fingers folded the paper once more and slipped it back into the book.

"Have you decided to hear my proposition?" Marian moved her head trying to relive some of the pain that plagued her, Loki pressed his fingers to her neck and tilted her head, "I must have struck you harder than I ment to, I apoloigize."

"Well I guess that makes everything better." she sneered.

"You, tend to her." Loki ordered one of his zombies. The man who had been commanded to tend to her grabbed the medkit that every Quinjet possesed and knelt beside her.

"While I have your ear I will tell you my offer to you." his cold fingers traced down her throat before withdrawing, "I wish for you to join me, and in return I shall become your teacher and tell you all. The only thing that you must do is become my companion…" Marian could not help but laugh,

"Your companion? Dont you mean your whore that would come at your beck and call."

"You misunderstood me." he smiled, "I mean a friend, I see much of myself in you. As a ruler one can have few friends, I need someone who I can trust."

"Said the person so good at lying he became a legend." His brow creased and he decided to ignore her remark,

"For all my life I had been lied to, as have you. Taken to be used as a pawn, as have you; soon you shall see all."

"Why dont you just turn me into one of you slaves over here and end this conversation." she begged.

"No, you are too gifted to be used in such a way." he fingered the book in his hands, "Perhaps you shall reconsider...in time."

"Don't count on it."

 


	9. Chapter 9

The Quinjet flew Eastward, as the sun slowly filtered through the dark sky. Marian had forced herself to stay awake know that she most likely had a concussion. Wherever Loki was taking her she could not escape, they had taken all her weapons except the the knife in her right boot. But what could she do with that, fight off five heavily armed guards and one powerful alien.

The longer that she was in Loki's presence the more she was tempted to take his offer. Not for the fear of death if she did not, but out of curiosity.

Her curiosity came from the part of her know that out of all the lies that he had ever told that one of the few truths that had spilled past his mouth. It became clear to her that Loki would not take now for an answer, but he would never forced her through any violent measures. She did not know why he would not harm her, it was just a feeling that she had in her bones. Perhaps it was because he did see himself in her, more than likely though it was because he saw her as a powerful ally. Her mind drifted to the thoughts of the silver light, such a strange thing. It was barely corporeal, both there and not.

Flexing her handcuffed hands Marian shifted herself so that her back was as straight as the wall behind her. This was a small effort to stay awake for a little longer, she did not trust the work of the man who Loki had look her over not believing that he had any medical training.

Loki's eyes had found their way to her and his faced contoured into what one could only call worry.

"Marian?" he questioned.

"What?" she said with a growl coming from the base of her throat.

"Why, must you treat me so…" he stepped forward to her and she slid back in her seat and placed her right foot on his chest to keep him from coming any further. His lips moved into a smile, her placed his left hand of the tip of her boot and his left on the bottom so that he was holding her foot in place.

"I am treating you this way because we are not friends." she tried to pull her foot back, but he held it tightly in his grasp. She attempted to take her appendage back but still he held it within his hands, "Let go." she looked him dead in the eyes.

"No." she struggled once more, "There is no use. I am much stronger than you."

"Hope you don't think that would deter me." her legs jerked once more.

"I would be disappointed, if it did." he moved his left hand from her heel up the back of her calf. Her ran his fingers over the grey of her boots, feeling the outline of the knife beneath, "Now Marian, what could that be?" He leaned forward, making her leg bend towards her chest. Marian made no effort to resist, in this moment fighting would be more foolish than trusting Loki. His fingers slipped down her boot the hidden knife, as his fingers moved downwards her muscles tensed.

"You said that we had a lot in common." he looked upward as he found the hilt of the knife,

"And you disagreed."

"Yeah." she half smiled, "But then again I don't know much about you, or myself I guess, so how would I know if I am right?" slowly he pulled the knife out.

"What do you wish of me?" He looked at the knife flipping it over in his hands.

"Tell me who you are, and lets see what we have in common." The Quinjet began to lower yet Marian and Loki were focused on each other, Loki seemed ever so surprised at her sudden change. Like a mountain cat Loki moved back from her, allowing her to straighten her bent leg, and removed his right hand from the toe of her boot.

He did not answer her, but instead took up her book and began to leave the craft. Marian moved to follow, but Loki's servants drew their weapons so she plopped herself back to the seat.

"Let her pass." Loki commanded, they parted so that she could get up and walk after Loki.

As the Quinjet had moved westward the sunrise had been delayed and it was still dark out, but Marian could see the glow of New York City in the distance. Three military cars were waiting for them near the Quinjet which Loki got into immediately.

"Come along Marian." he told her, his guards pushed her forward urging her on impatiently. She sneered at them before following Loki. He had Marian sit on his right side so that he might talk with her. The doors of the armed car were slammed shut leaving Loki and Marian alone in the back of the car. The driver of the car was join by one of Loki's guards before the car sped off.

"So, are you going to tell me about yourself?" Marian asked.

"Perhaps when we have some more privacy." the words rolled off the tip of his tounge. Marain looked around the car and saw what she was looking for.

"Driver raise the partition." she commanded the driver, he did not do as she said but he did look to Loki, who was turning her knife over in his hands.

"Do as she said." Loki did not take his eyes away from the knife. A semi-soil screen rolled upwards between the front seat and the passengers in the back. Loki raised an eyebrow, "Where shall I begin?" he seemed to ask himself.

"How about the beginning?" Marian sarcastically suggested.

"Seems as good a place as ever." Loki spoke lamley.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Loki leaned back ever so slightly, Marian looked at his scepter that had been placed against the the chair in front of them.

"There was a war, long ago, between the Frost Giants and Asgardians."

"Frost Giants?" Marian pressed her eyebrows together.

"More commonly know as Jotuns, they have blue skin with red eyes and stand very tall. As their name tells they have a preference for the cold. They have an the power to create ice as well, often in the from of weapons making them quite dangerous." Loki explained,

"So what did they do to cause the war?"

"What makes you assume they started the war?"

"Each side is responsible, in some measure."

"Their king, Laufey, attacked your home world many times. Killing all that crossed them, turning the land into a frozen hell. That was until the Asgardians stood to end their terror and Laufey's army was forced back to their home world, Jotunheim, and upon their frozen land they were defeated. Yet Odin-"

"Your father?" Marian cut him off. He huffed a laugh,

"Yes my  _father_. My father gave the creatures mercy, and took their source of power. The Casket of Ancient Winters. Upon that day he also took something else; within the strongholds of the Frost Giants, Odin found a newborn. The son of Laufey, exceptionally small for a Jotun's child. Laufey had kept him hidden due to the sham of his son's small size."

"This baby, was all alone?"

"Yes." Loki turned his head, and for the first time looked in her eyes during his story. "Frost Giants are heartless monsters." he turned away from her silver eyes.

"So he took this baby, what happened to him?" The car halted in traffic, causing Marian to jerk forward and slam into the raised partition. Left halfway on the seat and halfway on the floor, changed Marian's soft demeanor, with her restrained hands she banged both of her wrists on the partition. "Hey nut-sacks! Where did you learn how to drive! At the school of fuckboys!" Loki grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back on to the seat.

"Perhaps I should find someone who is more capable of commanding this metal beast."

"Its called a car." Marian informed and it moved forward, "Anyhow, what happened to the baby? Was he okay?"

"Odin took him, and raised him as his son." Marian's brow shifted into confusion.

"I thought that Thor was your only brother."

"Yes. My  _brother…_ " a venomous voice filled the air.

"You were…." she looked at his at him only being able to see his profile. His pale skin swirled with blue, she inched back as he turned to her.

"The monster?" Marian was captured by his red eyes, "The less fortunate son…" his blue fingers reached to her before freezing in the air and drawing back, "But no longer." Marian had no words as the blue was within his skin, she moved her hand to touch his as the blue swirled out from his skin. Feeling the smooth cool skin, pulling his hand to her to look at the last blue tints fading away. His fingers curled around hers, running his fingers over and in between the her slender didgets. "For all of your life you have been lied to, as have I. Now the pawns shall become the players…. upon this day everything changes."

The car stopped and Marian looked out of the window to see that they had driven through the city to Manhattan. The car on the right side was opened by one of Loki's guards, Marian snatched her hand away from him. He smiled deviously and slid out of the car, leaving the book behind in exchange to offering his hand to help Marian out of the car. She looked at his hand, then with the amount of awkwardness expected from such a situation, she wriggled her way out of the car.

"Are you always so stubborn?" he inquired. She stood on her feet, an looked upwards to see the building the car had stopped in front of. It was the new Stark tower that the press had gone into a frenzy about, as they had done with anything Tony Stark did.

"Why are we here?"

"This shall be the sight of my conquest." he answered simply. The towers glass doors parted for Loki, which Marian thought strange as she followed him with her hands still restrained. The had tried to pick the lock multiple times, but these handcuffs were magnetically locked and could not be unlocked without the key. Instead of bruising her wrists and fighting, she cooperated knowing that they could not keep the handcuffs on her for much longer.

"Where is Selvig?" Loki questioned one of his servants who had been waiting in the building for them.

"Right this way Sir." The guard led Loki, Marian and Loki's escorts to an elevator. He produced a key that unlocked all levels of the building, the silver doors slid open and all the guards spilled into the cramped space.

"I do believe that this is a journey that I make on my own, gentlemen." he raised his scepter, "I do thank you for your service." a blue beam flashed from the head of the spear,

"No!" Marian reached for his scepter but his right hand held her back while with his left killed all of the men in the elevator. Their corpses turned to ash within seconds, yet the metallic walls were left untouched. Loki dropped Marian with his left hand and kicked through the ashes and retrieved the elevator key. Marian was in shock, she had seen horrid things in her time with SHIELD….but she knew that this would stay with her to her grave.

"Are you coming dear." she looked up to him from the floor, "Now Marian," he grabbed the chain that linked her restraints to each other and yanked it up, "we cannot delay."

"Why didn't you let them go?" she ground her feet in to the floor, refusing to move, "They were innocent."

"No one, not even a babe is truthfully innocent, Marian." He yanked the chain of her restanis so that she fell towards him in the elevator. With skilled fingers Loki pressed the top floor button and the metal doors closed. Marian pushed herself away from him, stepping in the ashes of the slaughtered men she tried to tip-toe around the dust, but it was unavoidable.

Marian stood in the right corner closest to the door, while on the balls of her feet. The elevator was sliding up the floors of the building rather quickly, and Marian was glad for it. She did not want to be in this cramped space much longer with Loki, standing on the ashes of men she did not know.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Marian swung out of the elevator as soon as the doors split open, her silver eyes examined her environment looking for a means of escape. She was upon the very top floor of the Stark building, everything was top quality, it was no surprise to her because Stark had the money to buy it.

"Wait for me here, Marian," Loki said from within the elevator, "I have business to attend to." With a flick of his hand he threw the key to her restraints, which she caught with easy in her right hand. The metal doors closed once more leaving Marian alone to free her hands.

As soon as her hands were once her own again, she began to look for a way out. Her first instinct was to just press the button of the elevator, but that was that way was not easily defendable. So she looked out of the windows, and decided that was not a fall that she could survive. And then she saw the bar, and thought that perhaps she could make use of some sort of weapon from a broken bottle, but she knew that Loki was too strong for her to defend herself against. Even Rogers, who was a super human could barely keep toe-to-toe with Loki.

Marian touched her ear, finding that the earpiece was still intact and still in her ear. She pressed the button in hopes of it picking up some signal, or perhaps another member of SHIELD in the area. The only thing that filtered through was radio silence.

"I suppose there is nothing to do but wait." she walked to the glass windows. Outside there was as curved balcony that branched around to two doors. Her mind drifted to the memory of Loki's blue skin, and she wondered why he was so angry. If Odin did not take him as his son, he might have died in that stronghold.

"Do you enjoy the view, Marian." He had silent feet and surprised Marian, who had not heard the elevator doors open.

"Why are you doing this?" she breathed without turning around to see him, "I don't understand." He pressed his forefingers to the curve of her back and danced it downwards causing every muscle to harden.

"When I was a child, my father taught me that I was born to be king." he removed both fingers, "And so I shall be." he whispered; a growl echoed within his words.

"Maybe, for a time." she moved away from the window and from Loki, "But us humans, have a way of finding our freedom. It is dear to us and we will fight to the death over it."

"Us?" Loki smiled, "You speak as if you were one of them."

"Well what am I then? Or are you going to wait till you dominate humanity to tell me that I am not one of them?"

"Why would I tell you? You who have not sworn allegiance to me." he walked about her as a panther would, "Yet, there shall always be a chance for you, Marian. Swear to me your everything and I shall make you…. powerful."

"I don't want power."

"Then I shall give you knowledge of what you are." Marian turned away from him, she wanted to know what she was. Her craving for this would bring about the end of her resistance.

"So this is what your heart desires…." Loki was grabbed her shoulders from behind, "I shall give you everything, all you must do is surrender your entire being to me." he moved closer, ran his slender fingers down her arms and grasped her wrist bringing them stiffly upwards. "So my dear Marian, tell me of your thoughts." He pressed his face into the bend of her neck; against all of her common sense, Marian moved her left hand, still restrained by Loki, and placed it atop his dark haired head.

"And so you are mine." his hands moved from her wrists to the slopes of her body. The waves of his murmured words danced over her skin just as his hands did. Elaborate patterns were drawn by the tips of the soon-to-be concorere, so gentle he was that Marian almost forgot the blood that his hands were drenched in. Soon the fingers that that did draw had found their way to the border of her silver leggings that resided underneath the uniform's skirt. When his bare flesh touched hers she felt the stain of the blood and forced her way from him.

"I am my own." her boldness surprised him, her hand upon his chest keeping him a distance. His sly finger slithered up her skin once more, the movements settling her.

"Every person belongs to someone or something."

"Then who do you belong to?" her voice was stern, letting him know that this was no rhetorical question. His fingers hardened about her wrist and he tossed her onto a table and broke apart her legs so that he might hover over her. Her back arched in pain and her face was a twisted grimace. She made to move herself into a sitting position only to be slammed down into the table beneath her.

"I do not belong to any person." his voice was strangely calm, "Perhaps I do belong to my desires." and she saw this as an opportunity to remove herself from dangers eyes.

"And what are your desires," her hand moved to his neck and slithered to his face pushing his hair back, "Loki?" she spoke his name to him for the first time. Marian had recalled his wishing for her as a companion, and claimed he only wanted her for a friend. But she could see past all of that, men like him always desired more. He edged himself so that his back was straight, she steadily followed him so that her arms were supported her. Silver eyes submissively looked to him.

"It is said that love before battle makes a man weak." He pushed aside the bit of fabric that covered her collarbone and rested his tepid fingers there, "But I have never found it so." With those words carnal desire emerged and passion overtook. Small words turned to whimpers and bated breath. For a while Marian forgot the stains upon his hands and how now that blood was now upon her.


	12. Chapter 12

Marian's face embedded within Loki's hair she hid her face from him as he finished, her breath was heavy and her skin was slightly moist from the strenuous activity. She made only hushed noises, while he gave throaty growls. With one last beastly noise he held still between her legs, then he moved her so that he might look at her face. His hand upon her chin he turned her face to the side so that he could kiss her on the side of her cheek. The only time that his lips had touched her skin for the duration of this closeness.

He made his way away from her, adjusting his clothing while she did the same. He had tossed her dark grey leggings aside, her boots were by the table they had been on. Marian slid on her grey leggings and fastened her boots to her feet. Loki stood by the door to the balcony looking off into the distance seeming to be expecting someone.

"So interspecies is acceptable?" Marian jested.

"Usually." he spoke, "It is not common though, for one to breed outside of one's species. There are always exceptions though." Marian's stomach churned at the word breed, the disgusting literalness of it.

"I guess that makes us the exception." Her words were answered by empty air, and the matter of time came to her mind. "Do you know what time it is?"

"It is a little past Earth's eight hour."

"Eight o'clock then?" she wiped the sweat from her the skin on her neck.

"Did I not just say that?" he turned sharply his brow creased in the middle.

"Sure you did." a smile marked her face, "So when does your battle begin?"

"So many questions." he mocked her,

"I have always been curious."

"This battle shall begin when my army can be granted passage to this world, that should be at any moment." He went to the elevator and opened it doors, "I shall be right back, Marian." He left her alone once more. She made herself comfortable on a rotating chair that rested behind a desk, with her her left foot upon the ground she moved the chair from side to side.

In the pit of her stomach she felt the effect of what she had done, on some level she believed that what she had just done was high-treason. But should SHIELD win, she could use the defense of just having doe what was necessary to survive. Then it was not and unpleasant means of survival, till the thought just came to her head,

"I just slept with a mass murderer, who is hell-bent on conquering my plant."

"I did not need to know that." her earpiece spoke.

"Stark?" she was surprised that her earpiece did not go off, "Why didn't my earpiece-"

"I hacked its program so that you could give us information without alarming Loki. Unfortunately I just received way too much information."

"We are at your tower."

"Figured that out a while back, cutie." his agitated voice rang through.

"How about we keep the….incident, off of any record. I'll explain later."

"Please don't." the sound of him sucking his teeth buzzed over the speaker, "How could you do that, he killed your father."

"What?" her voice was weak as a summer's wind.

"Who are you talking to my dear?" Loki had come back.

"Is that Loki?" Stark's voice did not distract her,

"Just myself, its a bit of a habit." Her eyes were filled with a strange and new detachment. Loki turned his scepter over in his hands.

"I am going to go." Stark's voice went away.

"Something troubles you." the backs of his fingers moved over her jaw, as this killers touch met her she stood sharply.

"There are children here, innocent people, they don't deserve this." he parted his lips to reply but then the infamous Iron Man suit zipped by the glass causing it to shake ever so slightly. Loki move to the outside of the balcony using the furthest left door. Marian watched his feline movements, and knew that Stark would not lie to her about such a serious issue. Loki had all the capability to kill her father, and then have sex with her without any remouse. Her teeth clenched down, making her already strong jaw more defined.

BOOM!

An explosion of sorts from the roof above them, Stark then zipped down to the balcony end with the round ending. As he walked into the building, machines disassembled the armour and Loki followed his lead and walked towards the building. Marian cowered closer to Stark's side, her rage barely concealed as her face was fixed with a furrowed brow and clenched jaw.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity." Marian joined Stark at the bar where he began to put together a drink for himself.

"Uh….actually, I'm planning to threaten you." he responded,

"You should have left your armor on for that."

"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the glow stick of destiny." Marian turned her head to Stark, "Would you like a drink?" he asked Loki.

"Stalling me won't change anything."

"No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? Marian?" she shook her head no, "You sure? I'm having one."

"The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?" Marian's head throbbed and her fingers twitched in anger.

"The Avengers." he pressed a glass of bourbon to his lips, while Loki looked confused trying to understand what the Avengers were. "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. 'Earth's mightiest heroes' type of thing." Stark explained.

"Yes, I've met them." Loki smirked

"Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one." Tony took it as a joke and even smiled and drank the bourbon, "But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of live up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins," he gestured to Marian a bit, before pointing to Loki, "and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

"That was the plan." Tony placed down his glass not breaking eye contact.

"Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you." under the table Tony pulled out two silver cuffs.

"I have and army."

"We have a Hulk." Stark sharply replied and Loki turned away.

"I thought the beast had wandered off." Stark slid past the bar and Marian tapping her on the right shoulder.

"You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure that we'll avenge it." Marian stood a bit taller as Loki slowly marched towards Stark while raising in scepter.

"How will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting you?" he pressed the tip of his scepter to to Stark's chest.

Ping!

It hit the arch-reactor in his chest, Loki looked astounded when nothing happened and tapped the metal end once again,

Ping!

"This usually works." Loki said when Stark did not bend to his will.

"Well, performance issues. You know?" his voice had been dipped in sarcasm, "One in five-" Loki took him by the throat and threw him across the room. "Jarvis. Anytime now." Loki took him by the throat again, Marian moved to help but Stark held up a hand.

"You will all fall before me." Loki roared and tossed him towards the glass windows shattering the material and sending Stark flying down to the streets below. Marian ran out the door and watched him fall downwards to the streets below. The men and women on the street looked upwards to see the millionaire fall downwards. Suddenly a red package shot out from behind Loki and knocked him flat onto the ground. The red package followed Stark, it opened up to Stark latching onto his wrists.

'So thats what the bracelets were for.' Marian thought. The suit unfolded around him just in time for him to stop himself from smashing his head upon the concrete. He flew back up to meet Loki eye to eye.

"An there's one other person you pissed off. His name was Phil." Loki raised his scepter but Stark veered to the side and fired at Loki making him fly back. "So, beautiful, are you coming?" Stark flew away.

"Marian!" Loki called to her, "I gave you and offer of freedom, do not squander it."

"You killed my father."

"He was not your father. You do not even know who you are…. or what."

"I know exactly who I am." she ran towards the circular end of the balcony and jumped off.


	13. Chapter 13

Marian fell down the side of the building, the air made her hair fly wildly before Stark caught her. The speed at which he caught her was sure to cause some bruises; looking back she could see a dark portal in the sky from it were what she assumed were Chitauri, they were riding some sort of aircraft.     
  


“Mind if I drop you off here?” Stark began to descend slightly, so that they were about ten feet above the concrete. Marian shrugged slightly and Stark let her go while still flying at a medium pace. She bent her knees and rolled on to the sidewalk; all around her pedestrians had their phones out taking pictures of the portal and the army emerging through.

 

“How are we on backup Stark?” she looked up to him as he hovered close to her.

 

“I tried to call in an old friend, Colonel James Rupert Rhodes, but he is busy fighting some terrorist group in Hong Kong. But the rest of the gang should be somewhere, or most of it.”

 

“Where?” she raised her voice,

 

“I dont know. And also that doesn't matter since the problem is everywhere.” he flew upwards to going towards the portal. He began to slaughter a few of the creatures, and engaged others. The civilians on the ground realized that this was not a time to be taking pictures and began to panic and the creatures began their attack. Running and screaming around causing general chaos. Marian could see that Loki’s ‘brother’ had arrived, the only reason she could tell was because of the red cape that he wore.

 

The Chitauri were descending to the street, instinctively Marian reached for the gun that rested in the holster under her arm forgetting that it was empty, as well as the one on her thigh. One of the Chitauri raised it’s weapon towards her,

 

“Balls.” as it fired she dove out of the way rolling on the concrete, but the creature raised its weapon again she cowered back into the ground preparing to move to safety again but the creature was promptly shot out of the sky. It’s body fell onto the ground along with it’s aircraft; soon she saw the source of the Chitauri’s destruction.

 

A Quinjet hung over the street not too far from her, Marian raised two fingers to her brow and gave a small salute. The ship turned and began to fire at multiple Chitauri, Marian made herself useful by urging citizens on while dodging the fire of the Chitauri weapons.

 

Boom!

 

“Hey!” it was Stark on her earpiece, “Just to let you know Romanoff and the others are heading to the northeast.”

 

“I-” she dogged out of a Citauri’s weapon fire, “I kinda figured that out.

 

A blue beam had crashed into the Quinjet, right on its wing causing it to viciously veer to the side. Whoever was at the helm landed as gently as they could; the Chitauri had begun to land upon the ground and attack random civilians. Three surrounded Marian and swiped at her, she ducked down on the ground and swung her leg out. She caught two of the creature's legs causing them to fall onto the ground. Swinging up she grabbed on the the back of the standing creatures neck and grabbed an electrical unit and yanked it out, as a result it fell down to its knees and died. The other two had begun to recover from their fall and tried to fire their weapons at Marian. She took one of the arms that had a weapon, pushed it to fire at the other Chitauri who was instantly destroyed. Her hand then grabbed the electrical unit and ripped it out.

 

The Quinjet’s ramp opened and its occupants, who were Barton, Romanoff, and Rogers,  ran out onto the street to assist Marian. Barton came over to Marian to see if she was injured, he placed a hand on her shoulder,

 

“You alright?” her let her silver eyes linger on him, seeing that he was out from Loki’s hold.

 

“Of course I am. And you, Robin Hood?” she tried to lighten the mood. The NYPD began to organize and fight the Chitauri,

 

“Better.” Barton responded, firing at the Chitauri. Together all four fought trying to protect all the civilians they can. All around them cars were being overturned and storefronts were aflame, “Where are your weapons?”  he asked Marian.

 

“They were confiscated by our future overlord.” She kicked a Chitauri in what she assumed was its stomach.

 

ROAR!!!

 

“Oh god tell me that was the cowardly lion.” Marian looked to the sky, a large worm like creature cast a shadow over the city.  

 

“Would that make Loki the Wicked Witch?” Clint asked.

 

“Maybe we should pour some water on him.” Natasha added. As she fired her handguns at the Chitauri and their fly chariots. Marian looked up to the portal to see a large worm like creature slither out.

 

“That cant be good.” The creature began to fly about crashing into buildings, Chitari that had been bound to both of its sides were released and clung to the sides of the building. They fired with strange energy rifles at the people on the streets.

  
“Stark, are you seeing this?” the Captain questioned using his earpiece, Stark had connected her earpiece to the rest of the members.

 

“I’m seeing, still working on believing.” he zoomed above them firing at the enemy, “Where’s Banner? Has he shown up yet?” Marian knew that Banner had morphed into the Hulk, and she assumed that he had gotten himself lost as Loki had said.

 

“Banner?” Rogers questioned.

 

“Just keep me posted.” he flew towards the large flying creature staying out of its sight. The whole city burned as they fought off the army that they could. They ran to shield themselves from the fire behind crashed taxis, as they looked up and saw that Loki had boarded one of the flying chariots. He had changed into his strange outfit, horns and all; his eyes spied Marian and still in a rage, lifted his scepter and fired a blue energy boalt near her. It hit a car amongst other cars setting off a series of explosions; Clint pushed Marian down, and Rogers held his shield over himself and Natasha. Marian placed her hand on Clint’s forearm signaling for him to let her up. The people on the ground saw what the strange man had done and began to flee from him as he went down the road.

 

“Those people need assistance down there.” Rogers said looking down the road where Loki, along with the army was flying.

 

“We got this. It's good. Go!” Natasha yelled as she reloaded her gun. He looked to Clint,

 

“You think you can hold them off?’   
  
“Captain.” he pushed a button on his bow making his quiver changed his arrows, “It would be my genuine pleasure.” He shot an arrow into a creature’s head, allowing for Captain to run down the road unharmed but he was still chased by enemy fire and a large explosion. Marian took a moment to look past the fiery explosion to still see him running and dodging all the fighting.

 

“Damn.” Barton shoved something in her hand, “A butterfly knife? Well its better than nothing.” she swung it around her fingers in and almost artistic way. While she slashed at the creatures that were on the ground Natasha focused on those in the sky, Barton had gone off to loaded bus. He help the small children that were being held out of the windows by parents, and then helped the adults get away from the bus by jerking the jammed door open.

 

Natasha dropped the empty clips from her pistols, and Clint joined them again after the bus was emptied,

 

“Just like Budapest all over again!” Natasha commented, Marian didn't understand that reference and and contained to finding on.

 

“You and I remember Budapest very differently.” He fired another arrow into a horde of Chitauri, it landed on one of the flying chariots and exploded causing at least two score to go down. Marian tripped a Chitauri soldier then used the knife to slice it’s that, Romanoff grabbed one of the creature's arms and took it’s weapon and began to fire. Marian made ready to stab at and approaching enemy before she saw that it was the Cap, he held up his hands for a moment before swiping his shield at oncoming Chitauri. It seemed as if they were about to be overrun, they could not last much longer.

 

Boom! Crack!

 

Lightning descended from the sky killing the Chitauri that surrounded them, they were blasted back a foot or so, but were able to recover without effort. The Chitauri were not as luck, as they convulsed wildly before dropping to the ground. Their old friend Thor landed with a boom to the ground, 

 

“What’s the story upstairs?” Rogers inquired, wishing to know about the portal.

 

“The powers surrounding the cube is impenetrable.” Over the intercom Stark chimed in

 

“Thor is right. We gotta deal with these guys.”

 

“How do we do this?” Romanoff did not sound hopeful in anyway.

 

“As a team.” Rogers brought hope to the group, Marian felt compelled to make a joke involving patients or America, but she did not have the time to think such an elegant joke through.

 

“I have unfinished business with Loki.” Thor glared to the sky, looking for his brother

 

“Yeah, get in line.” Clint challenged from behind Marian.   
  
“Save it.” Rogers commanded, “Loki’s gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he’s gonna need us-” Rogers looked past the group of people in front of him. They all turned slightly to see Dr. Banner driving a motorcycle up to them. He stopped it in the middle of their group, getting off he observed the madness that was taking place in the city.

 

“So, this all seems horrible.” he deducted.  
“I’ve seen worse.” Romanoff looked him up and down.

 

“Sorry….” he looked down to his feet.

 

“No. We could use a little worse.” The Captain pressed his finger to his earpiece,

 

“Stark? We got him.”

 

“Banner?” he questioned.   
  
“Just like you said.”   
  
“Then tell him to suit up. I’m bringing the party to you.” The unique sound the the Iron Man Suit swung around the corner, behind him came one of the huge worm like creatures. Marian’s eyes grew large and the others seemed in shock as well,

 

“I…” Romanoff began, “I don’t see how that a party.”    
  
“Stark always has been one for wild parties.” Marian reasoned. Iron Man swung downwards to the street and the worm followed him, the creature’s belly touche the street tearing it from the ground.

 

“Dr. Banner. Now might be a really good time for you to get angry.” with an ansty voice Rogers spoke. Banner began to walk forwards before turning around,

 

“That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry.” He faced the worm, and his body began to swell and change to green. He grew in size and became the Hulk, raising a fist he crashed it into the face of the worm crumpling the metal armor that it dorned. It’s body curve above them, and in that moment Marian could only think of one thing,

  
“I hope someone fed my cat.” she looked up and tilted her head to the left. 


	14. Chapter 14

As the creature loomed over them, Stark raised his arm and released a rocket into the creature's body. Thor took Marian by the side to block her from the explosion, sizzling meat fizzled on the ground. Marian's face twisted,

"Oh, that's just nasty." Thor let her up, "Thanks." The Chitauri army roar all around them in anger, they faced back to back looking around, preparing themselves to fight off the remaining army. Marian flipped the butterfly knife in her right hand.

"Guys." Natasha worriedly called their attention, they turned their eyes to where she was looking. Out of the sky spilled two more of the worm creatures and hundreds more Chitauri.

"Call it, Cap." Stark said from Marian's side. Rogers turned around,

"Alright, listen up." he ordered, "Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything Call out patterns and strays." Barton gave a quick nod, "Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

"Wanna give me a lift?" Barton asked Stark.

"Right. Better clench up, Legolas." Stark took Barton by the arm and flew up to the building to drop him off.

"Thor," he grabbed the Asgardian's attention, "you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You've got the lightning. Light the bastards up." Thor began to swing his hammer round and round causing him to fly up. The Captain turned to Marian and Natasha, "Romanoff, Coulson, you-two and me, we stay here on on ground, keep the fighting here. And Hulk," the big green guy turned around with a massive grow in his throat, the Captain pointed up, "Smash." Hulk smiled then bounced up to a building and began to smash Chitauri around like it was his business. Above them at the portal a massive attack of lightning struck the army.

Marian focused herself at the Chitauri coming for her on the street, she was getting tired of having just a knife so the she took the weapon of a fallen Chitauri soldier. Romanoff had the same idea when she ran out of bullets, but before she could fire a Chitauri grabbed her by the legs and took her to the ground. She began to fight it off, cutting at it's throat, Marian flipped open the butterfly knife and threw it into the energy unit on the back of it's neck. She flopped pack, taking a moment for herself, the Captain stood over her making sure that she was nut hurt.

"Captain, none of this is gonna mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal." Marian slouched down to Romanoff who was looking up to the Chitauri flying overhead.

"Our biggest guns couldn't touch it." he breathed. Marian followed Romanoff's eyes to the flying chariots.

"Well," Romanoff pondered, "maybe it's not about guns." she nodded her head upwards.

"You wanna get up there, you're gonna need a ride." the Captain agreed.

"I got a ride. I could use a lift though." Romanoff stood, Marian looked at her as she were insane, but so was this whole situation. Rogers angled his shield upwards,

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah." she shrugged, "It's gonna be fun." she ran towards him jumped onto the shield, Rogers then pushed his shield upwards. Romanoff then grabbed onto the backend of a passing chariot.

"Marian!" Rogers yelled before throwing his shield in her direction, she jumped out of the way to see the shield slash into one of the creatures.

"Thanks, Cap." He grabbed his shield then yanked her up, and sung her around so she could kick an attacking Chitauri. She was then released onto the ground sliding to grab another weapon and annihilate the fallen Chitauri. Stark had come back to help on the ground, he blasted a beam of energy onto Cap's shield, it bounced off and took down a squadron of soldiers. Stark took off being followed by rider, from above Clint shot the rider down.

Down the street Humvees with .50 Cal guns mounted on their backs began to shoot in the sky.

"National Guard?" Rogers asked

"Yeah, I think they got this street down." Marian looked at the multiple Chitauri they shot down.

"Captain, the bank on 42nd past Madison," Hawk got their attention, "they caught a lot of civilians there."

"I'm on it." he secured his shield, "You got this?"

"Of course I do, Golden Boy. This is not my first rodeo." She moved to the next Chitauri that dared to attack her, the Captain ran off to 42nd street.

Marian fought for some time before seeing another member of her team, it just so happened to be Stark. As he went into the mouth of one of the large worm creatures, through its body an out the otherside. It fell to the ground and rolled to it's side,

"Oh Stark, you nasty." she grimaced as he rolled down the street, he landed at her feet. He landed at her feet, his mask opened,

"You not going to help me up."

"Not after you flew out of that thing's as-" she looked up to see a large band of Chitauri running towards them,

"What are you looking at?" he turned himself over, "Oh." the creatures raised their weapons. Marian raised the Chitauri weapon, and stepped over Stark,

"I got this, Baby Doll." She fired at the crowd of aliens, every shot made its mark. Stark looked at her impressed and took her by the ankle,

"My knight in a shining catsuit, carry me back to your palace." She jiggled his hands off of her,

"Focus Stark." With his hands off of her he rolled himself off of the ground and blasted off.

"Bye honey, see you at dinner." Stark called out before his mask shut. He swung past the corner of the building that Barton was on. He had run out of arrows and jumped off the building when he with his last arrow. After he shot the arrow it was revealed to have a grappling hook at its end, he used the momentum from his fall to direct himself into the broken window of a building.

"Stark!" Director Fury's voice came from her earpiece, "You hear me? We have a missile headed straight for the city."

"How long?" Stark questioned

"Three minutes, at best. Stay low and wipe out the missile." Marian fought off three soldiers and press onto her earpiece,

"Stark? You got this?"

"Certainly. You still have to carry me off into the sunset my fearless knight." Marian rolled her eyes and began to fight off another wave of Chitauri before placing her finger back on her earpiece,

"Captain. Where are you located?"

"I'm still on 42nd, with Thor. You can't miss us." Marian threw the alien weapon down and began to run to 42nd Street. Along the way she fought off many creatures, tearing off their energy units and disarming them. Soon Marian reached 42nd street, slightly out of breath, but still able to fight.

"Marian, daughter of Coulson." Thor called,

"There is a missile headed this way. Stark says that he has it down."

"When will it arrive?" Rogers asked.

"Less than three minutes." She reached for Rogers and pulled him down to the ground, he landed on top of her in and awkward fashion narrowly avoiding Chitauri weapon fire, "Sorry Sir." his shield had crashed next to her head.

"Saving my life does not require a sorry." Thor helped the Captain off of his feet,

"Are you ready for another bout?" He asked when the Captain was steady while pulling Marian back to her feet.

"What? You gettin' sleepy?" Rogers panted.

"Honestly yes." Marian slumped herself against Thor's arm.

"Come Daughter of Coulson, fight for vengeance." She popped her neck after Thor's somewhat encouraging words, and began to fight with the God and living legend. One after the other the Chitauri fell before them, and Marian focused her rage upon the monsters that had come to her world.

"I can close it! Can anybody hear me?" Roger's and Coulson's earpieces rang, "I can shut the portal down!" Rogers shouted back,

"Do it!"

"No, wait!" Stark yelled right into Marian's ear.

"Stark, these things are still coming!"

"I got a nuke coming in, it's gonna blow in less than a minute. An I know just where to put it." Marian shrugged at Stark's reasoning,

"Pretty good place." Over the city they saw him go with a large missile above his head, in his hands. He tilted himself up to the portal,

"Stark, you know that's a one-way trip?" the Captain asked only to receive no reply. He simply flew up into the dark portal, it felt as if the whole of the city held their breath in that moment. Suddenly all around them the whole army fell down to their knees, shook and cried out before falling to the ground and becoming unresponsive. They all stopped fighting, and looked up to the sky, to the dark portal that still loomed above them and waited to see their friend.

"Come on, Stark….." Natasha whispered, but she could still be heard over the com.

"Close it." Marian turned to Rogers in shock, after he gave the order. Within seconds the hole in the sky closed, turning the sky around it back to a baby blue. When it was just a small dot something fell through,

"Son of gun!" a smiling Rogers spoke,

"Mother fuc-" she stopped herself when she got strange looks from the two men who were not used to a woman using such language, "Sorry." They turned their eyes back to Stark, he was racing to the ground making no effort to stop his fall.

"He's not slowing down." Thor began to swing his hammer about, trying to take off but before he could the big green guy came out of nowhere and grabbed Stark in his arms. Together they smashed into a building, Hulk grabbed onto the side and slid down then jumped to where Marian, Rogers, and Thor stood. Hulk landed on his back with Stark on his chest, his green hands shoved the suited man off of him to the road.

The trio ran over to the limp Iron Man, Thor leaned down and tore the face off of the Iron Man suit. Marian leaned over to him to see if she could hear if he was breathing, she lifted her eyes up when she heard no sound. Her lips parted into a frown.

'ROARRRRR!' the Hulk went behind her causing her to cringe her shoulder in wards

"Ah!" Stark went, waking up from death, "What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me?" he looked to Marian, "Unless it was her, if it was her tell me now." Marian smiled and laughed a little bit, rolling on the ground to lay about a foot away. A second later the Captain answered,

"We won."

"Alright. Hey. Alright. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day." he exhaled then twisted his head around to each person, "Have you ever tried Shawarma? There's a shwarma join about two block from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it." Rogers twisted his head to the Stark Tower,

"We're not finished yet."

"And then Shawarma after." Thor moved over to to Marian on the ground, offered his hand.

"Might I escort you to the tower, m'lady" Marian raised her eyebrows and smirked the cast out her hand to take his,

"Why does she get escorted." a snooty Stark asked, Thor wrap his left arm about Marian's torso and she had placed her arms about him,

"Hate to break the news to you, beautiful, but its because I'm prettier." Marian felt a throaty chuckle beneath her fingers in the chest of Thor, as he began to swing his hammer. Over the wind in her ears the engine of the Iron Man suit. In his metal cland hands were Barton and the Captain.

Thor landed on the balcony of the Stark tower, the Hulk had climbed up the building's side. Stark had dropped the Cap. and Clint off on the balcony, then strutted in through the broken windows. Romanoff had found her way to the penthouse. Loki was crawling out of a crater onto a set of nearby steps; Marian looked him up and down, it was obvious that the Hulk had got to him, he was all scratched up and bruised. They all circled around him,with Barton on the forefront with his last arrow poised at the place in between Loki's eyes. Loki looked up and spoke,

"If it's all the same to you. I'll have that drink now."


	15. Chapter 15

Ding.

The elevator went, out spilled SHIELD agents armed to the teeth. Marian relaxed her shoulders, and joined her hands together behind her back after tossing the Chitauri weapon to the side. The agents took Loki roughly and restrained him, his eyes caught Marian's but she looked away as he was forced into the elevator. The Hulk collapsed onto the floor, unconscious; Marian touched Barton's arm that was still poised where Loki had been. His muscles turned to putty in her hands, he let his guard down and her silver eyes captured him.

"I think Stark said something about food?" she smiled.

"I did," he turned to the shrinking Hulk on the floor, "but, I think someone is going to have to get Banner some pants first."

"What?" she jerked her head around, catching a flash of Banner she turned back around, "Oh." She pursed her lips, and looked to Clint, her lips unfolded into a smile. The others were scrabbling about trying to find Banner some clothes, Stark believed that he could have a pair in one of the rooms that occupied the penthouse.

"Its good to have you back." she whispered to Clint.

"You too. I'm….I'm sorry about your dad." he stood to meet her eyes on an equal level. She closed her eyes remembering that detail of the day.

"How-" her voice cracked in the middle, "Do you know how it happened?"

"I don't know the details, from what I was told, Loki stabbed him in the back with that," he pointed to the scepter in Romanoff's hands, "thing." Marian clenched her jaw, "He was a go-"

"Dont. I'm going to have to hear that for the next few days, I don't need to hear it from you." she huffed out a breath, "I have to call his girlfriend."

"He was dating?" Clint asked with a creased brow.

"A cellist, I doubt she even knew anything about me." she looked at him, "How are you? I know Loki did something to you."

"It's an experience that I will not soon forget." he hung his head, "He took my mind emptied it out and filled it with what he wanted." She had the urge to comfort him, but in the company of their fellow team members, especially with one naked on the floor.

"I found the pants." Stark marched in with a pair of dark jeans in one hand and dark shirt in the other. He threw it at Banner, "There you go big guy, now!" he clapped his metal clad hands together creating a thud, "Shawarma."

"I think," Rogers said, "that they are going to want to talk to us." they went over to the window where he was looking down and out of. SHIELD agents were on the ground, as well as medics and the green speck that was Loki, surrounded by his new guards.

"What the hell is this in my elevator." Stark was on his right knee picking up the ashes that laid on its floor,

"Those are- those were some of the men that Loki had enslaved." as Marian spoke, Stark's eyes grew then dropped the ashes and looked at his hand.

"Ech." he seemed to jump back a bit, "First sweaty workmen now dead people." he walked to the round end of the balcony and began to walk back down, piece by piece the suit was taken off, "Now, I don't know about you, but I am going to take the stairs. I am not in the mood to stand in dead guy, I find it ruins the appetite." Barton pulled out his last arrow after setting it to the grappling setting.

"Hey Clint," Marian called, "mind giving a girl a ride." She did not want to walk down all 93 floors of the tower.

"I second that." Romanoff called, swinging over. Barton flinched when she came near with the scepter, but soon readjusted himself and fired his arrow to the building on the other side.

"Just hold on tight." Marian and Romanoff secured themselves to either side of him as he fastened the string of the arrow to his bow.

"Why does he get to take the women?" Stark mumbled before they went over the edge. Marian tightened her grip on Barton as he swung down to the street corner across the Stark Tower. They ran across the street to the SHIELD agents in front of the building, Loki was being placed in the back of a heavily armed truck. Marian looked to one of the car that she arrived to the city with, it was flipped over an in an awkward place in the road. She thought of her father and her last words to him,

' _Yes Sir.'_ Like a good little soldier, he was the one person that she wished for the approval of, she was sure that she had it. But he never told her. Analyzing her last moment with her father she thought of the paper that he handed to her, how she folded it and put it into her book.

"Where are you going?" Barton asked Marian who walking to the overturned car, the windows were partially broken. She kneeled down to the back window and pounded her right fist into the glass.

Once. Twice. Three times. Four.

On the fought hit both the glass and Marian's first broke, though she did not notice it at the time. She could see the book with its pages split open to the page that she left the paper that her father had given to her, using her forearms she crawled into the car, slammed the book shut and took it in her right hand.

"Marian?" Barton said slowly from behind her, "What are you doing." In a second she decided that it was best not to tell him of the note her father gave her.

"Oh, you know, just grabbing a book." He grabbed her by the thighs and pulled her out while she was still on her belly he took her forearm and picked her up and snatched the book.

"Game of Thrones? Great TV show." Marian huffed and took her book back,

"The books are better." she rammed her shoulder into his as she passed trying to get back to where the SHIELD agents were only to be stopped by Barton's lightning quick hand. He seemed as if he was about to make a smart remark before a rather loud SHIELD agent called her name and ran over with a crate.

"Fury wanted this to get to you as soon as possible. Something about therapy." the agent tossed her the crate before running off to help.

MEOW!

"Gandalf." Marian smiled, she popped open the crate and took the grey cat in her arms, "Hey there buddy." her face buried into his stomach listening to the loud rumbles of his purrs.

"Come on cat lady. I'm sure they will want to debrief us."

"Lets get some food." she picked her head up from Gandalf's soft belly and saw a look of disapproval, "I mean lets go get debriefed." she slid away to the other agents, "Where were these people when we were getting our asses kicked?"

BOOM!

Thor landed on the ground next to in the center of the street,

"Banner and Stark will be arriving soon, the have decided to use the  _elevator_ despite the remains." he informed them all then looked down in Marian's arms to the feline. "This creature, it reminds me of ones that your people used to sail with long ago." he put his hammer on the ground and held out his hands, "May I?"

"Of course." and she handed the cat over the muscled Asgardian to play with. "So who is debriefing us?"

"No one, as of now. And technically, you are not actually a full agent. Fury just called you back in as an adviser in effect you wont have to be debriefed unless multiple forms are filled out." Stark and Banner filed out of the building,

"Well lets go get food." she responded to Romanoff. Clint held up the cage for Gandalf, Marian took him from Thor and slipped him into the cage.

"Good idea, short stuff." Tony clasped her on the shoulder, "Come along."

"I'm not that short." she protested. Natasha threw her shoulder around her, and together with the rest of their team they made their way to the shawarma place. "I think I broke my hand."

* * *

After they got their orders they sat around a table in silence, Marian sat between Stark and Thor with her hand in a bucket of ice. Their food was delivered, turned out shawarma was basically meat and vegetable in a wrap. They sat in silence while they at, and eventually just ended up sitting there staring off into empty space thinking about what just happened.

Stark leaned over to one of the gumball machines that you could buy small bouncy balls. He placed fifty cents in turned the crank and bought one. He bounced it off the floor and caught it, then again and again creating an annoying sound till Marian snatched it midair. Standing she walked around the table and threw it out of the broken window, then turned around and sat down. Making a spot clear on the table for herself she laid her head down after placing her hand back into the ice.


	16. Chapter 16

“Hey, blue eyes.” Tony tapped her on the back, “Wake up, we’re going.” Marian sat up from the table and moved her right hand out of the ice and hissed deeply.

 

“I think I should get this looked at.”

 

“What did you do?” Banner asked observing the fragmented fingers,  looking for Clint and finding that she was not there she answered,

 

“I dont rember. It must have been sometime during the fight.” breaking her hand for just a book would not be believable, she did not want anyone but herself to know about the paper her dad gave to her.

 

“I put a cast on it for you, if the medics have the supplies.” Banner stumbled on,

 

“Thats okay, you seem dead tired.” Marian picked up Gandalf’s cage with her left hand, “I’ll go find a medic.”

 

“I’ll go with.” Tony followed Marian back to Stark Tower, many of the others followed as well mind Thor who just jumped ahead. “Where’s Loki?”

 

“The SHIELD agents have him in that van over there, I don't think they will be taking him anywhere. Most likely because they want all of you guys to keep an eye on him.”

 

“Don't you mean all of us, sweetheart, you're an Avenger now.” Soon the some of the medics were in sight,

 

“Hey,” she called out, “do you guys have someone that could help me with a broken hand.” A nervous new recruit was the one to answer her,

 

“Yes Sir-I mean Ma’am.” Marian’s eyebrows raised and she smirked making the recrute squirm, “I mean Agent, I’ll go get someone.” she looked at the boy,

 

“Kid, calm down I’m just another agent.” he scurried off and she looked to Stark, “I’m not an Avenger, infact I think I’m just going to go home after this. Be permanently retired.”

 

“Yeah, right.” Stark rolled his eyes, “Thats what your going to do, don't wanna solve this mystery about that mission in Cal-no-one-gives-a-damn.”

 

“I dont think that truthfully matters.” she smoothly lied.

 

“Well, maybe I can talk you into accepting a job.”

 

“As what? What could I possibly do? Sit around and look pretty as you save the world.” A medic swung by, and Stark took the cat cage and book from her, “I will be happy with my little life, away from all  of...whatever you would call this.” The medic led her to a truck where a mobile medical lab rested, all the while Stark followed along,

 

“Youll come back, people like you always do, it could be a day, a month, a year or ten. But people like you always find themselves in situations like this, I would know I am one of them.” He placed Gandalf’s cage on the ground with the book on top, “I am going to rent a couple of rooms in  the Palace Hotel for everyone, should I get a room for you?”

 

“Yeah…” she climbed up the short steps of the medical truck and was instructed to sit down on a chair as the medic put on gloves.

  
  


The shattered hand was x-rayed and set in a black brace. Minor cuts and bruises were treated,

 

“No concussion.” murmured the medic with a blinding light shining in her silver eyes, pulling the flashlight he started with is condolences about her father only to be cut off by another agent, one of the two that were guarding Loki,

 

“Agent, me and a few of the guys were wondering if you would like a moment alone with Loki, we’ll turn off the cameras.”

 

‘Rookie’ she thought, “Have you ever read the Dhammapada?”

 

“No?” the voice was quiet and drawn out into a question.

 

“You should read it. It is a collection of verses that the Buddha, according to legend, answered to questions.The majority dealing with ethics. In one verse, if you read the translation by Dr. Friedrich Max Müller, it says, ‘For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time:Hatred ceases by love, this is an old rule.’” A long silence followed these words and the agent seemed in a state of consternation.

 

“I….”

 

“Loki and I have nothing to say to each other, I have nothing to say to him. He is a little man, with some daddy-issues who wasn't hugged enough as a child.He has a few issues that won't get resolved by people just showing him hatred Do I like him, no. But am I going to waste my time bashing his prominent cheekbones in, fuck no..” those silver eyes rolled around as she shook her head. “Ow!” her head snapped down to her left thigh where a syringe was sticking out of it, “What--what the shit?”

 

“Something a little stronger than morphine, for the pain..” the medic coolly expalined then moved away from her to tend to the rest of the wounded.

 

“I should have let Banner treat me.” she sleepily grumbled, “You,” she pointed to the recruit who got her the medic, “can you please go get one of the-” her mouth spilled out a yawn.

 

“Avengers?” he finished for her only to receive a lazy nod from Marian.

 

“Please.” Stumbling, she awkwardly made her way to the edge of the truck. A wave of dizziness settled upon her when she saw the stairs that led down and out of the truck and put her good hand on the roof of the truck to steady herself. The world spined, Marian closed her silver eyes and her knees faltered, and she slipped forward into rock solid arms.

 

“Easy soldier.”

 

“Rogers?” the letters of his name slurred together, “Great to see you, the medic gave me something for the pain. Which is weird because it didn't hurt that much.” The majority of her weight was being supported by the Captain.

 

“What’s wrong with her?”

 

“Clint.” Marian smiled and laughed then straightened her face, “I really want breakfast food.”

 

“The doc. gave her something. And, Marian, we just ate.” He talked to her like a child, so she responded like a child.

 

“But I want waffles….” her face scrunched, “Like my dad used to make.” In under a second she let all of the sadness and confusion out of her soul, “Ya know, my dad had a waffle iron, that would make waffles in the shape of your shield Captain. He would make them everytime he came home, which was not often, but when he did he would make me waffles.”

 

“I can honestly say,” Clint confessed, “I have never seen her cry.”

 

“We should get her out of here, lets take her to the hotel. Stark got the rooms right?”

 

“What?” Clint had taken out his earpiece that let him hear, though it gave him the benifit of hearing it could become uncomfortable.

 

“He cant hear you.” Marian choked through her tears, “He’s deaf.”

 

“Did Stark get the rooms?” Rogers repeated while facing Barton.

 

“Yeah. They are getting the rooms ready right now.” The Captain supported Marian, helping her walk and with his free arm took the cage that her cat resided in.

  
“Where are we going?” Marian asked, “Wheres my cat?” Ignoring her questions, and letting Barton take the cage, Rogers picked her up and carried her to the hotel.


	17. Chapter 17

A fresh crisp scent of clean sheets filled the air, it was cold causing Marian to shake awake. Rolling from her side onto her back, she cracked her knuckles before she even opened her eyes. When she finally opened her eyes the light of multiple buildings and fires still burning poured through a window on her far right. Upon it’s windowsill lounged a man,

 

“Cint?” she called out, but he did not respond. His eyes were focused on the streets below, “Clinton!” After calling his name out loudly she realized that he must have not put in his hearing aids in, he never had seemed too keen on those things. Still, for a man who has 80 percent hearing loss, he was the best listener that she had ever met. Not wanting to scare him too bad searched to room for a more delicate approach.

 

It was a large room, with a television across from the bed that she rested upon, a table stood by the window with a lamp and bowl of fruit upon it. Two side tables were on either side of of the bed. There were lamps on both of the table, she decided to turn on the lamp to the right of her.

 

“You feeling better?” he walked over to the bed,

 

“Yeah, but my head hurts like a bitch. What happened?”

 

“The medic, he gave you something for the pain.”

 

“I feel worse,” she groaned, “than that time me and a buch of South Koreans when out to party in the Gangnam District and wound up on a fishing boat, in the Sea of Japan.”

“What?” Clint asked, trying to get her to repeat herself, she made a move to sign what she had just said but felt the black brace that restrained her fingers. “Here.” Clint handed her an electronic notepad.

‘ **I feel worse than that time,** ’ she typed with her left hand, ‘ **I went to the Gangnam District, with some Korean buddies and wound up on a fishing boat in the Sea of Japan.** 'She flipped the pad so he could see.

“Rice wine?” he inquired about what she was drinking.

‘ **Soju.** ’ she stuck her tongue out and smirked.

“I bet Soju didn't make you cry.” Marian’s deadpanned, “When you were all loopy, you mentioned how you dad used to make you waffles in the shape of Captain America’s shield. Then you started to cry in his arms.” A grimace grew on Marian’s face,

‘ **How many people saw?** ’

“Not many, really just the core group.” Marian shrugged her shoulders and plopped down onto the soft pillows, “No one would care, you lost your dad.” He laid on the pillow next to her, “How about I order some waffles from the kitchen, this place has, 24 hour room service, so it won't be an issue.”  Rolling off the white sheets she grabbed the pad,

‘ **Do the waffles come with whipped cream?** ’ she half smiled and half frowned she flipped the pad.

“Anything else?” Marian quickly flipped the pad back to her and quickly searched and image and flipped it back over, “Natalie Dormer? I dont think that you're  her type.” She looked out of the window.

The island of Manhattan was smoldering below them, and she felt dirty. The man who had killed her father, who had killed all of these people had touched her. She had slept with him, one of the more intimate things that a person could do. It was not the shame of sex, she had never been apologetic for doing what she wanted with her body. But Loki, after letting his touch settle, she felt stained by his fingers. The old silver uniform, that she was still wearing, was torn in many places. She wanted to be rid of it, her shoes and gun holsters had already been removed. So she took off her dark silver fingerless gloves first, then she pulled the the sleeves of her uniform down her body. When she reached her hips, where her leggings began,  she just hooked them on her fingers and pulled them down along with the main part of her uniform.

“The shower is over there.” Clint said as she stood there in only a black sports bra and panties. His BTE hearing aids were in his ears, his finger was pointing to the left of the room. She walked over to the right side of the room where three doors were located, one to her right, one on her left, and the last infront of her. “Left!” Clint instructed. The tips of her fingers slammed into the door handle, the door opened and revealed a luxurious bathroom. Double sinks, a marble bath next to a standup shower. Eagerly she grabbed a the soaps that rested on a platter between the sinks and moved towards the shower. Removing her undergarments an arm brace she turned the water on.

The water was cold making her shiver, she did not complain. She had been in worse situations, at least here she had a shower and soon it would grow hot. When the water was like fire Marian’s nails rubbed the soap into her skin until her skin had red scratch marks upon it. Her hair was soppy and clean, and every inch of her skin burned from the thorough scrubbing that she have given it. Hot water still poured from the shower head and Marian slid down the  side of the glass. Still she felt like the scum of the earth. She had slept with the man who had split her father’s heart, even if she had not known that at that moment in time the guilt was enough to kill her.

Tap.Tap. Tap.

“Waffles are here.” The door opened and Clint walked into the steamy room, Marian tried to stand up quickly but mistakenly used her right hand to help her up and cried out in pain. Since he was not using his SHIELD issued hearing aid he could not hear her completely, so she easily got up took a towel from nearby the show and wrapped herself in it, after turning off the water that is. She did not bother to cover herself all that much, Clint had already seen it all, even then she did not care it was her body. Never before was she ashamed of her own body, and she never would be. Hands moved the fog from the mirror so that Marian could look at herself. Silver eyes were rimmed with red and the red was framed by deep purple that hung under them.

“What time is it?” Marian asked as she dried her hair.

“What is what?” Clint had not heard her completely so she lifted her braced arm and tapped it with two fingers. Not exactly American Sign Language, but it could be understood by anyone who had seen a wrist watch. “It’s almost one.” He took a white robe that hung on a hook, the tugged the white towel that she was wrapped in letting it fall to the ground. Marian continued her business, using the elastic that she had to braid her soppy hair; Clint draped the soft robe over her body making her shimmy her arms through the sleeves. Sliding his hands to the front of the robe he closed it and tied it using the mirror as a guide. Showing affection for her he left a soft kiss on her jaw, and let his arms hang about her.

“Where is my cat?” being so close to him he could hear her question,

“In the living room.”

“Living room? How big is this place?” He did not answer her, but instead bent his neck over her shoulder and pulled his arms tight. it took more than a moment for her to realize that he had not hear her, she did not repeat but wondered why he did not use the hearing aid that SHIELD had supplied him with. Perhaps he liked the quiet, most of his job did rely on his sight that is why he liked to be in elevated spaces. Being so high up he could see everything.

Loosening his hands she left the bathroom and began opened the door directly in front of her.

“So this must be the living room.” The floor was of a dark wood, the right wall as well as the one adjacent to her were covered in windows. On one of the window ceils Gandalf was perched looking out to the rubble. A large white couch was in front of a large television, between the couch and TV there wa a large coffee table and under that was and elaborate rug. “You really went all out Stark.” she murmured before her eye caught the table nestled in the far left corner that had a plate full of waffles and a can of whipped cream.

She shimmed herself over to the seat that faced outward from the corner and pulled the plate of waffles to her. Next she took the linen napkin and splayed it on her lap. Then came the butter and syrup, next she took the silverware that had been left out in her left hand.  Finally she looked to the brace and realized that she would not be able to eat like a proper human being.

“Having trouble?” Clint entered the room holding the table, he was quickly beside her taking the fork and knife from her and then sat in the chair next to her after placing the tablet down. Cutting the waffle for her and then feeding her piece by piece he relished in her resentment at his actions. It would be easier on the both of them if he just cut up the pieces and let her eat, but he liked to take care of her for once. She was a rather independent creature, insisting that she could take care of her self. Even when she couldn't she denied help and pushed her way through to the other side. When she was full she held up her broken hand, and tilted her face away.

“I’m full.” she licked her syrup coated lips, as she stood she took the can of whipped cream.

“Why didnt you use that on your waffles?” She let her hair down as her wrist flicked back and forth shaking the can before she peeled the safety plastic off. She tilted it downwards, with her right hand’s thumb she was able to spray some of the sweet cream upon her left pointer finger. Then she offered the whipped cream coated finger to Clint, he leaned forward to take the finger, but she pulled it away from him and licked it off herself. She removed his hearing aids and placed them on the table before taking his hands to lead him to the bedroom giving him simple kisses along the way. She wished to erase Loki’s touch with that of another’s, perhaps it was wrong in some way, but Clint was not objecting. Neither was she…. 


	18. Chapter 18

Clint was asleep next to her, Marian laid awake with her back to him. Outside of the window SHIELD was working tirelessly to clean up the mess caused by the battle. The sun was rising, letting light into the room, illuminating those in the room. Marian could see her robe on the corner of the bed and slipped from the bed into the robe.

 

She took off into the living room, not making a sound. There Gandalf greeted her, she plopped herself down on the couch and cuddled with the grey creature.

 

“Soon it will be just you and me, fella.” her eyes morphed into crescent moons. This was the truth for her, and it did not sadden her, she had always enjoyed being alone. Though she did enjoy being with certain people, they did not know much about her. Even Clint did not know much about her, and they had frequently slept together.

 

Clint was not going to take her leaving well, he did have an affection for her. Though she thought of him more as a friend with benefits, but she did also care for him. Her father did not know about their relationship, or at least she think he did not. Even if he did he always respected her sense of self and understood that it was her body to do with as she pleased. Though, she did not think that he would approve of Clint almost being his own age. Clint was 41 and her father was 48, that would make him old enough to be her father. She was 23 of course, so that would make Clint,

 

“16 years older than me.” Gandalf struggled to get away from her and bounced over to a food bowl that had been left for him. With a meandering meaner, she began to look about the room. Before she could look any further past the living room she heard someone approach the door. Being a paranoid person, because of her training, she grabbed a gun that Clint had left out.

 

She raised herself onto the balls of her feet and poised the weapon downwards, with safety and control in her mind. Her feet swung with ease making no noise on the wooden floor that rested beneath her. With ease she moved around the corner to the door, beneath it she could see the shadow of a person’s legs, just before they could knock Marian swung open the door. Her gun poised in perfection at the one who knocked,

 

“Thats one hell of a goodmorning.” Marian lowered her gun,

 

“Sorry Captain. Please come in.” she opened the door and moved herself out of the way, being quite confident that Clint would not wake up. He was carrying something in his arms, he appeared to have found a new source of clothing. “What are you doing up at this time.”

 

“Habbit, from the old army days. Up before the break of dawn.”

 

“And the army keeps rolling along.” she sang and walked around him, “Do you want some coffee, I think that there is some coffee in this kitchen.”

 

“Kitchen? Stark must like you, he got me one of the smaller suits.” She opened the door to the kitchen and found what she expected. Just like in every hotel, there was a coffee maker with the supplies to make coffee along with a sink to get the water necessary.

 

“So what brings you here at this fine hour?”

 

“Stark thought that you could use some-” he bent down to pick up Gandalf in his free hand, “new clothes.” he handed her the thing that he was carrying. It was an elaborately decorated box, she pulled the top off. A business casual dress rested inside and a pair of black shoes with a large heel,

 

“Thanks Captain.”

 

“Please, call me Steve. And its Stark you'll be wanting to thank.”

 

“Did he get you those clothes.”

 

“No. They dropped off all of our luggage.”

 

“Well then where is it, I’ll wear the clothes that I brought.”

 

“Stark has it.”

 

“Damn him.” she poured water into the coffeemaker, “He’s tryna get me to work for him. This must be his first step,” she lowered her voice a bit to imitate Tony, “dress her like a secretary and soon she’ll become one.” She tossed in the filter to the coffee maker then the grounds.

 

“Thats a spot on impression.” Steve smiled, petting Gandalf.

 

“God knows what he has done to those clothes, I don't think I even want them back.” She pressed the buttons on the coffee maker and it growled to life. Heating the water then spilling into the pot below.

 

“He also put some under--” his cheeks turned red, “things in the box.”

 

“I bet it will just warm Tony’s heart to know how close he is to me.” She looked for the bra and panties in the box and found them easily,  “Steve you're as scarlet as the stripes on the American flag.” Her comparison only made Steve blush all the more. After pushing the box to the side she began to look through the cabinets of the kitchen for coffee cups. There were a number of cups inside the cabinet closest to the door of the kitchen, she took two and set them on the counter and poured the hot coffee into them.

 

“Cream and sugar?”

 

“I’ll get that myself.” he put Gandalf down and pulled the little coffee creamer cups along with the coffee cup to him. Marian went without the creamer and sugar and drank her coffee black, it was a startling taste that brought her to the conscious world.

 

“Do you mind waiting here for a second while I get dressed.”

 

“No.” he sipped his coffee and waved his hand before turning his attention to Gandalf, who had found his way onto the counter to rub his face on Steve's arm.  

 

“Hey, you,” she scratched the cat’s back, “remember who feeds you.”

 

Meow.

 

She took the box in her hand and strided out the kitchen door to the bathroom that was directly to the right of the kitchen. Dropping the robe she slipped on the undergarments, then adjusted the dress that fit over her body as tightly as her cat suit. There was also a pair of nude pantyhoes that she covered her leges with then put the black shoes on her feet. She detangled her curly hair as much as she could.

 

“Well played Stark.” she squinted her eyes an looked her up and down in the mirror, “Well played…” After running her hands about her body in the fitting dress and lingering for a moment in the mirror she left the small restroom to rejoin Steve in the kitchen. Her hand gripped onto her coffee cup, as it was still on the counter. “Steve, I’m sorry for crying on you yesterday. I don't really remember that though.”

 

“It’s fine. Now that you are dressed do you wanna get out of this room.”

 

“And where would we go?” she inquired, “The majority of the island of Manhattan is out.”

 

“How about Brooklyn?”

 

“It will kill my feet in these shoes, but I do suppose that beauty is pain.” She gulped down her coffee in two large gulps placed it in the sink. Steve bent his right arm then offered it to her, simply she slipped her left hand through, “Such a gentleman.” she praised.

  
“Well, my mother taught me right.” 


	19. Chapter 19

Marian and Steve walked slowly through Manhattan, eyeing the destruction all the way. SHIELD had a good grip on that already. It already seemed cleaner, but the civilians were still in a state of shock. Meandering about the streets, some searching for loved ones, others helping with the cleanup. Both Marian and Steve kept their heads down, not wanting to be recognized by any of the people who might have seen them.

"How many people do you think were lost?"

"Too many." Steve respond to Marian, "Mostly civilians, then the police force, and National Guard. And of course your fath-"

"Please," her voice rose in a panic, "I don't want to think about that." she readjusted her hand while in the bend of his arm.

"Im sorry Miss." they were reaching the outskirts of the destruction. Alot of people were looking at the wreckage that littered the streets. There were a few cabs on the street slowly passing by, as the drivers also wished to look upon the horror. No one really minded Marian or Steve as they walked with their heads down.

"Lets take a cab." Marian used her influence on Steve's arm to guide him to the side of the street. Then stepping off the side of curb she waved her hand ever so slightly and a driver who was going slowly down the street pulled over. Being a gentleman Steve open her door. After they both settled in the drive asked,

"Where to?"

"Just drive us to Brooklyn, we'll get off once you get us across the bridge." The car lurched forward and went into drive,

The driver turned up the radio slowly, out poured the news of the events of yesterday. Every station was calling it 'The Battle of New York.' A simple yet accurate title, while the whole of this news was going on, the interview with the survivors, and the families of the not so fortunate. Throughout the ride, while listening to this, the two passengers shared meaningful, yet awkward, glances. The car zipped over the bridge, which was quite surprising considering that the streets were usually clogged with traffic. Just after the bridge the car pulled over to a convenient spot. Steve pulled out a simple brown wallet, readying to pay the driver, it was a small amount of 10 dollars. Seeing how there was little traffic it took less time and the meter did not have a long time to run. Steve handed him a 20 and told him to keep the change.

"You grew up here, right?"

"Yeah. But here doesn't seem like there, if you catch my drift."

"Its the same place, but its changed so much that it might as well not be." The streets were mostly empty here, everyone was staying inside, or had gone down to Manhattan to mourn the loss of the city.

"Exactly."

"What do you miss the most?"

"I dont know yet? There is so much-

"So much what?"

"Just so much." All Marian could do was smile in agreement. This was a very different time from the past, so much had come about, "It's not as bad as if could hve been. We were told by Howard Stark that we would have flying cars."

"We have his flying son, that would make up for the lack of flying cars if he wasn't such a sarcastic jerk."

"Yeah." Steve laughed then placed slapped her hand, that still resided in the crook of his arm, "Stark's an ass. But I will give it to him, he does have quite the brain, inventing all these marvelous things."

"Just not a flying car."

"Seeing how people drive nowadays, I believe that it is for the better." Then they walk in silence for some time, the only thing that toyed with the silence was when Steve saw some place that he recognized. Soon after he spoke of the place and its significance to him the air would become heavy and the silence thickened one more. Eventually morning was on the verge of becoming the afternoon and the two made their way back to one of the main roads where at least one taxi was sure to be.

* * *

The ride was longer than the last, everyone was coming out of the haze of confusion. They were mobbing the streets of the island of Manhattan, as soon as they crossed the bridge Steve and Marian agreed that it would be better to walk.

"God!" Marian yelped slightly when she was on her feet again, "I didn't realize how much my feet hurt till I was sitting down." she rotated her feet which were bound in high heels.

"That bad huh?"

"I can manage, but I will be happy as soon as I make it back to the room." He helped her along,

"So hows the arm?"

"Better than my feet." she breathed. The cab moved away after receiving the money, and they began the long walk to the hotel. There were people walking alongside them, going to the site of the battle, all were in mourning. Some with flowers and others with candles with glass holders that had the saints painted upon them.

"Your father," Steve started suddenly while reaching into his pant's pocket, "would probably want you to have these, they seemed important to him." He took her left hand from the crook of his arm and placed a set Captain America collector cards bound together with an elastic.

"My father's cards. He treasured these things." she slowed down, while holding them close to her.

"He had them in his pocket when Loki-"

"Oh-" her head fell to look at the box, "Would you mind signing them?" he pressed his hand to her back, ment to urge her along as well as comfort her.

"Not at all." Her grinned, they turned down some back alleys in hopes of avoiding the crowds. They did not want to be recognized by many of the people who were hailing them as heros. Marian did not think that anyone would really care about her, but Steve. He was a hero from the 40s who some how came back from the dead, now that was someone that the people would have an interest in. Running her finger over the rough edges of the cards she continued to walk on, and think of her father and of Loki. But more importantly, or herself.

Was what Loki showed her true, or was the silver mist that emanated from her flesh all but an allusion. Loki had been able to create tricks that could fool even the most perceptive of a person.

"Marian?" Steve caught her attention, "You seem to be thinking might hard about something."

"Its nothing important, I was just thinking about the funeral. I've never had to arrange one."

"If you would like any help, I would be honored."

"I wouldnt want to burden anyone."

"It would be no burden. I had to plan my mother's funeral alone. I made it through it though, mainly because I had help from a friend."

"Who? If I might ask."

"James Barnes. Or Bucky as everyone called him."

"One of the Howling Commandos, I know them all. My dad being such a big fan and all. When I was young I used to think that he was the most handsome Howling Commando."

"Yeah, he was quite the ladies man." he looked down at his feet and seemed to grow sorrowful.

"And you weren't?"she asked trying to cheer him up as they walked out of the back street to see the hotel they were staying at. The truck that contain Loki was parked in front, and Thor was busy placing a muzzle over his mouth to keep his silver tongue silent. Loki had caught sight of her and with his eyes gave her a smile, knowing that he could not use his mouth. Thor had also placed some sort of Asgardian handcuffs on him to keep him in place. When the muzzle was tight and secure, Thor without words threw his brother into the back of the truck and slammed the doors. Even when he was being cast into the truck his eyes did not leave Marian's. Steve noticed this silent interaction

"Why did he take you?"

"In short, he was looking for a….companion." she growled the last word, then looked away.

"Did he…hurt you?"

"I-" she thought about telling him but only for a moment, less than a second,"No." Steve could tell that this was a lie, through all of her training she had made one mistake in the way that she had answered him. His initial response was to comfort her, give her affection of sorts to let her know that she is not alone. But then he thought better of it, being the type of woman she was these actions would only offend her. "Do you want to go get a drink?"

"Isn't it time for breakfast?"

"You can order something from the kitchen, but I want vodka rocks. And besides, its on Starks tab." she shrugged.

"I'm in." with a smile he agreed.

 


	20. Chapter 20

The bar was located on the first floor of the building, which had been hit by the attack so all of its windows were broken. Glass was strewn about the place, but the bar was untouched. 

“I’m sorry the bar’s not op-” the bartender who was looking down halted himself as his head raised, “Hey you two were-” he pointed to the the television screen where the news of the battle was running.

“Yes we were?” Steve answered, “Can we get a drink.” 

“Of course.” the man seemed ecstatic, “Please sit.” he cleaned the bar an gestured down the seats that were in front of the bar. Steve encouraged Marian forward with his hands on her back, though that was unnecessary, she was quite eager to get a drink. “What can I get for you.” 

“Vodka rocks make it a double.” Marian did not miss a beat. 

“I’ll just have a glass of water, please.” The bartender quickly made way to prepare the drinks, both were easy. Steve received his glass of water in an instant, and Marian watched as the barkeep placed two cubes of ice into a small glass then poured two shots over the ice. He clanked the glass to the wooden bar and slid it down to Marian where she caught it with the tips her left hand’s fingers. 

“So what you guys did was pretty impressive yesterday.”   
“Thank you.” Steve answered, he was uncomfortable but knew Marian would not wish to answer questions of some….fan. The man continued to answer questions and seve continued to answer, till his brand of polite patience began to wear thin and he pulled out his wallet. Marian had finished her drink, as he did such, 

“No need.” the bartender smiled and held up his hands, “I got you two covered.” 

“We’re fine.” Steve then slammed down a ten for Marian’s drink, “I think that the others will be wondering what happened to us, we better get going.” Marian slipped from the bar stool to the door in what seemed like one fluid motion, her father’s cards in her hand. 

“Thank-you, Steve.” she was relieved that she did not have to talk to the man, and was ever grateful to Steve for his intervention. 

“Don't mention it.” he was obviously agitated as well, hating being interviewed while trying to have a moment to themselves. “So where do you want to go now?” 

“I think I am just going to go back to my room. Watch some television, I think there is going to be a new episode of Supernatural on. What are you going to do?” 

“Well I was going to up to Stark’s, see what he is doing. He has a full bar in his room, and a television, you wanna come.” She thought for a second, Clint could still be in her room asleep and she did not want to wake him. Or deal with his questions about where she went, and the look in his eyes that he got when she left him in the dark. And she did need another drink.

“Sure, that sounds….nice.” Steve pressed the button to the elevator, it dinged as it opened and the two went in. “What floor is Stark on?”

“The very top one, he got the penthouse or as this place calls it the champagne suit.” The elevator pulled them up slower than most elevators would while an opera of sorts played in the background. The elevator dinged once more an the doors slid open, a small hallway led from the elevator to brown double doors. Steve moved without hesitation, letting Marian follow along as he knocked on the doors. 

“COME IN!” Stark shouted from the other side. When the doors were opened Marian was not in the least taken aback by the lavishness of the room. But she was taken aback by the people in the room, he was lounged out on a large white couch with a bottle of scotch on the table in front of him. He was wearing a robe, not a white one provide by the hotel, but a red silk robe. Across from him sat the Iron Patriot, still suited up in armor. “You two?” Stark seemed disappointed, “Thought you were room service, I ordered from the kitchen about 30 minutes. Hey there my beautiful knight,” Tony smiled at Marian, “have you come to carry me into the sunset.” 

“First you'll have to put on your best suit of armour. Can't show up to my castle with you looking like a peasant.” 

“You look good, in the dress. Do you like it.” 

“The shoes hurt my feet.” she had walked over to him and taken his glass of scotch and begun to sip on it. 

“No please. Have a drink.” 

“Thanks, I think I will.” the scotch went down smoothly, letting Marian know it was expensive, “Who’s your friend?” Marian gestured to the Iron Patriot. 

“Like you don't know.” Tony rolled his eyes

“I thought it would be more polite, to be introduced.” 

“So you know about me?” the Iron Patriot asked, and she smiled at him

“Colonel James Rupert Rhodes, former alias the War Machine, now, the Iron Patriot. You received this suit from this one,” she pointed to Stak that sat beside her as Steve sat next to her, “and ever since you've become quite the hero in your own right.” 

“And you would be…” 

“Marian Coulson.” 

“Dont forget the Agent part.” Stark added. 

“Not anymore, from here on out I am retired. After all of this I am going to be somewhere in the mountains, in a cabin, with a roaring fire and a good glass of brandy.” 

“Sounds like it could be cold,” he put an arm about her, “maybe you could use a snuggle buddy.” 

“Of course, thats why I have my cat.” 

“Cat-lady.” Stark coughed out

“He is the best man I have ever met.” she finished off the glass of scotch and pressed it into Tony’s hand, then turned her head back to the Colonel, “It is a pleasure to meet you.” 

“You as well.” the Iron Patriot smiled back. Her eyes wandered back to the empty glass in Tony’s hand, and she took it back. 

“Anyone want a drink?” she stood and walked towards the full bar. 

“I had one-until you ingested it.” 

“Well do you want a different one, I was a bartender in Argentina for six months once. So if you want a frou-frou drink I can make almost anything.”

“Why the hell were you in Argentina?” 

“Nazi person, assassination-murder thingy. What do you want?”

“I’ll take what I had before.” Stark answered. Knock knock, someone tapped on the door, “COME IN!” the doors opened and room service came in with a cart full of food. 

“Are you really going to eat all of that?” Steve questioned,   
“Well….I’m planning on sharing.” Tony shrugged and tipped the boy who brought in the food. The boy seemed quite taken aback by the people in the room, and kept looking over his shoulder as he left the room. As Stark put a silver tray of something on the table in between the couches, Marian was walking over with two fresh scotches with two cubes in each. Both of the glasses were balanced on her black brace that bound her dominant hand. 

“For my queen.” she said changing her voice, 

“Thank you my king.” he took it from her brace and began to sip as he munched on what Marian assumed was bacon wrapped scallops. They smelled decadent, but Marian was mildly allergic to scallops knowing that is she had more than three her mouth would go numb. Nothing too awful would happen after that, but until they got out of her system she would have to avoid talking least she would bite off her tongue. 

“Marian, you said that you wanted to watch a show. What was it called….” Steve spoke to her, 

“Supernatural.” she answered. 

“I think that show is on Netflix,” Tony’s mouth was full when he spoke, “I’ve been meaning to watch it. We could do that today.” he wiped his hands on a cloth napkin then went on a search for the controllers to the TV. While he was looking Marian leaned over Rogers’s lap to the side table an opened it’s drawer then pulled out two remote controls. 

“Sorry Steve.” she said crawling back over his lap to her original seat, “Stark! I found em.” she waved them in her left hand. Stark rushed over and took them from her then worked the controls on the TV that was to the left. He placed his password into the Netflix login, 

“So what’s this about?” The Colonel was removing his armor and placing it in a corner. 

“Two brothers who are demon hunters, I can't really explain the plot because it is just so, so much.” Marian answered.

“Season one, episode one. This better be good, Silver- Huh, I gotta come up with a codename for you.” 

“I’m sure you'll figure it out.” she took off her shoes and laid her legs over Tony’s lap, “Now play the goddamn show.”


	21. Chapter 21

“What episode are we on?” Steve questioned after about four hours of watching the show

  
“The seventh, I think.” Marian said, she had left her legs over Stark and placed a pillow on Steve’s legs so that she could comfortably lay down while still watching the show. On her stomach was half a slice of Kahlua cake that she had been picking at for the past 20 minutes.  
  
  
“This is my new favorite thing.” Stark said

  
“I thought I was your new favorite thing.”

  
“That was yesterday.” Marian shrugged it off then turned her attention to the TV. The episode was starting out with some college girl going out on a date with the boy, who drove them out to the middle of no where, then he was killed by a ghost with a hook.

  
“Why do people go in the woods to mess around. Nothing good can come out of it.” Steve said looking at the screen.   
  
  
“A few good things could come out of it.” Marian shrugged.   
  
  
“Marian.” Tony teased, “Did a boy take you out to the woods?”

  
“No. A girl did.”

  
“Why would a girl take you--ohhhhhh.” the man across from her went.

  
“I didn't take you for a-” Tony began before Marian cut him off

  
“Lesbian. I'm not.”

  
“I'm sorry.”

  
“I didn't take it as an insult.”

  
“Then why were you in the woods with a girl?” Steve pressed.

  
“The same reason that a boy and a girl would go in the woods together.” She answered taking a piece of cake into her mouth.

  
“But I thought you said you weren't a lesbian. Then what are you?” Tony said turning his body all the way to her, blocking her sight of the TV.

  
“Human.” she snarkily answered trying to see around him.

  
“I mean what do you like.”

  
“Not you at the moment, now just shut up and watch the show.” she halfway yelled, causing him to turn around and watch the show. Though Marian could tell that he was not watching the show, he was too busy shouting and trying to figure out what she was.

  
He was not alone in figuring out what she was, for a moment she began to think about what she was but the tapping upon the door. Without Tony answering the knock the two doors opened and in came in Natasha, Clint, Dr. Banner, and Thor.

  
“Who’s that?” Marian questioned not being able to see from her position.

  
“It’s the rest of the gang.” Colonel Rhodes answered. The four people moved around the couch so that Marian could see them in her laying down position, not that she bothered as she was a bit enamored in the show. Marian was also avoiding Clint’s gaze, she hated that look he gave her. It never failed to put a rock of guilt in her heart, making her chest all the more heavy.

  
“Is this what you guys have been doing all day?” Natasha looked at them all as if they were the most ridiculous thing she had ever seen.

  
“Just the majority.” Tony said almost as a child would to their mother.

  
“Steve and I went for a walk.” Marian shrugged her shoulder and continued to watch the adventures of the Winchester brothers on the screen. In the corner of her eye she caught sight of Clint sitting down on the edge of the same couch as Rhodes, then letting his eyes linger upon her. The others made themselves comfortable and Thor inspected the food that lay on the table. She made to take a bit of her cake, but suddenly felt a weight in her stomach, “Does anyone want this?”

  
“Let me have a bit first.” Stark said as he took the fork from her and took a piece from the dessert. “Yeah, that's good.” he took the plate from her stomach and began to polish off the last bit of the cake, “Is there anymore?”

  
“That was the only piece that you ordered.”

  
“What are we watching?” Banner asked.

  
“Supernatural, a show about demon hunters, who are brothers.” Steve answered, and Tony took up her legs so that he could place the empty plate on the cart that once held the food that was now on the coffee table. She, feeling a bit cold and a somewhat exposed she turned on her side and curled her long legs into her torso. In doing so she met Clint’s eyes, and they were not what she had predicted. No hurt or sign of betrayal, just disappointment.

  
“So!” she said interrupting Clint’s gaze, “What are all of you guys doing after this is all done with? While you four weren't here, I decided that I am going to go to a mountain and be permanently,” she stressed the word ‘permanently,’ “retired.”

  
“I plan to return to Asgard, and see Loki to justice.” Thor told.

  
“Is SHIELD just going to let you take him?” Banner then asked, contemplating how SHIELD would keep Loki in their hold.

  
“I don't think they have much of a choice, I mean I’m not going up against that wall of a man.” Marian committed,   
  
“No offence, Thor.”

  
“There was no offense, Daughter of Phil.”

  
“I,” Tony announced, “plan to build, or rather, re-build my tower. Now let’s leave all of this behind,” he pick up Marian’s legs and placed them on his lap, “and get back to this girl who took you into the woods.”

  
“Why were you in the woods, with a girl? I don't understand why this would be an issue.” Thor let them know his thoughts.

  
“Fondue?” Steve tried to explain as clearly as possible.

  
“Ignore him,” Tony instructed Marian, “and tell me all about this girl.”

  
“Why do you care?” Marian furrowed her brow.

  
“I want to know you, also, when I opened your file there was not much personal information.”

  
“Why would there be personal information in my file?”

  
“I don't know. Just tell me.”

  
“She was just a girl that I knew we grew up together. And she liked kissing girls more than she liked to kiss boys, and she liked kissing me. So I let her, I liked her, she was my only friend.” she breathed heavily,

  
“I should look her up.” Marian said softly.

  
“There has to be more.”

  
“Oh, Tony.” she touched his face like a mother, “There’s always more.” she took her legs off the couch and grabbed the uncomfortable shoes, “Now, I think that I have to go feed my cat. Thank-you for taking me on a walk, Steve.” She took her father’s card in her hand, as well as the room keys that she had Steve keep in his pocket.

  
“Take me with you!” Tony called loudly from the couch as she placed one foot out the double, and she slammed the doors as a sign of no. She could hear muffled laughs as she strolled to the elevator, thinking over what she actually planned to do after all this chaos was over and the press settled down.

  
That address was an American one, so it would be a tad difficult to cover her tracks. She would have to fall off the map so the SHIELD would not see what she was doing. Despite the danger, she was willing to do whatever it took to find out what she was. Her father had given her information, and she didn't think that it was so that she could contact his girlfriend.

  
As she went down the elevator, she made a map of her plan. What she would have to do the erase her existence, first she would have to visit a few old friends in Guam. That would not be hard, from there she would go to Red China. Then she would take a boat over to Central America and drive downwards to Brazil. There she knew someone who always knew what to do, and would do anything if she asked. Even if Marian asked for the whole world; that was what Marian planned to ask for.

  
But for now she would have to stay herself, and mourn for her father. There would probably be a funeral quite soon, SHIELD would most-likely be the one to plan it, and it would probably be in a military fashion no-doubt. If she did not have to, she would not go. She dreaded the thing, his colleagues coming up to her. Telling how good a man he was, and how they admired him. She knew those things, he was a good man, not so much a father but he tried. He always tried.


	22. Chapter 22

The room was strangely cold when Marian wondered in, she tried to make her way to the thermostat to raise the temperature, but stumbled over something near the door. If she did not make a quick turn to the wall and let her back crash against she would have gone face first into the floor. Her left hand searched for the light switch, when she found it she looked down on the floor for the search of the trouble. There were her bags that Tony had allegedly taken,

 

“Thanks Stark.” She growled through her teeth, then slammed the still open door and took the bag with her good hand, leaving her keys and Captain America cards on the small table by the door. It felt a bit heavier than she remembered, but she brushed that off and threw it on the couch.

 

Meow! Meow!

 

“I know, I know. I’ll get to feeding you, just give me a second.” She shuffled around looking for the food, whoever had fed her last had put her food on the kitchen counter. She took Gandalf’s bowl off the floor and shook the bag making food fall into the small metal bowl.

 

Meow!

 

“Shhh….” she took the bowl in her left hand and then too the floor. Gandalf greedily gobbled all of his food down. Marian took to looking out the window, and thought of what was to come. SHIELD had done a quick job of cleaning up the city, all signs of the battle would be gone by the end of the week. That means that she would only have to be here for a week longer before she could get the hell out of dodge.

 

Meow. Gandalf rubbed against her legs.

 

“Hey baby.” she took him in her left arm, “You wanna go to Guam?”

 

Meow.

 

“Of course. You don't care, because you’re a cat.” She let her head fall backward as her breath left her, and her eyes fell with her head. As she stood there a peace came over her, it was akin to the sudden stillness before a battle or a vicious storm. The cat in her arms rubbed against her neck and jawline, all while making sweet sounds. “Lets go see what’s on TV.” Marian raised the pitch in her voice.

 

She put Gandalf on the couch and went in search of the remote, and one of her pistols. The pistol was easy to find, finding the remote was a tad difficult. But she eventually found it on the windowsill near the television. Over the next few minutes she flicked through the channels before settling on a local news channel, and began to listen to what people thought about the events of yesterday afternoon. All of the mourning people who had lost sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, wives and husbands, mothers and fathers. The amount of death sickened her, what sickened her more was her inability to show her feelings. It must make her seem like a monster.

 

Not being able to take the accountings of the battle she pressed numerous buttons before she successfully changed the channel. She flipped through them once again, finding a Star-Trek marathon she stayed her finger on the button. It was the original series with Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, it was cheesy in every way, but it had a good meaning to it.

 

She knew that the show had first been written as a medium for a discussion about real world issues. Its diverse cast was rare back then when everyone was white. There was an African American woman who was not playing a maid, which was rare in the 1960s. The show even had the first interracial kiss, between Uhura, the African American woman, and Captain Kirk. It got the show canceled because the entire south blacked out the show during the kiss and its ratings plummeted. Eventually it received a reboot in the form another TV show. Then over three series were made along with multiple movies, Marian’s favorite series was DS9. She watched it so often when she was little that it felt like home to her.

 

Bang. Bang.

 

After about an hour or so of watching television something began hitting the windows to the her right, at first she suspected that it might just be a bird confusing it’s reflection for another bird. So she rolled her eyes away from the TV over to the widow, and saw Tony all dressed up in his Iron Man suit signalling her to open the window. She did not think that she could open the window at first but with a bit of observation saw a little sliver handle on the corner window. She used all her will to pull herself from the soft couch and drag herself over to the window. Popping open the window she looked down and felt a bit sick,

 

“GOD!” her eyes grew and her lips parted, “WHY THE HELL DOES THIS OPEN! I’M NO BUILDING CONSUMER, BUT THIS SEEMS LIKE A SAFETY HAZARD.” Stark then slipped into the window and sat on her couch. “No please come in, take a seat. Do you want me to rub your shoulders? Or maybe a drink?”

 

“A drink sounds good.” he removed his mask.

 

“I dont have any liquor in here.”

 

“Then why did you offer?”

 

“For the sake of sarcasm.” she rolled her eyes then closed the window tightly. “What do you want?”

 

“To ask you out to dinner.” Marian raised an eyebrow, “Not in that way. I think we just need to discuss what I found out about you and girl.”

 

“Get out!” she commanded him.

 

“Calm down.” he saw the pad that she had used to communicate with Clint the night before and took it in his hand as she took up the gun that was on the coffee table. “Wait, put that thing down.” He held up one of his hands and engaged the sonic power in the palm of his hand, “Marian,” he said slowly, “I will end you.” Begrudgingly, she lowered her weapon and he lowered his hand to the pad and began to tap away.

 

“What are you doing?” she was growing more impatient by the second.

 

 **‘The Girl,’** he typed **‘is going to be our little code for your file. I think that your room has been bugged.’**

 

“Ahhhh….” she smiled, “So, what did you find out about my old friend _Mayra_?”

 

“Agree to go to dinner with me and you will find out everything that I know about your very interesting friend, _Mayra_.”

 

“As long as you pay.”

 

“Agreed. I get you something pretty to wear.” He went over to the window, “Let’s say about eight o’clock, I’ll be able to find something at about that time.” He popped open the window.

 

“Why dont you just go through the door like a normal person?”

 

“I’m not a normal person.” he jumped out the window after placing his mask on. Marian bit her tongue a bit knowing that she had just spun another lie. Well at least Tony thought that the girl’s name was Mayra, and whoever bugged the room was going to be searching for a person named Mayra in her past now. They wouldn't find anything, and that would just lead them to assume that she was playing Tony. Which was fine with her.

 

What wasn't fine with her was the fact that she was now going to have to dress up and go out to dinner with Tony ‘I know more than you do’ Stark. Also that SHIELD bugged her room and most likely knows that she was boneing Barton.

 

“Oh god, I don't want to have to deal with that.”

 

Meow.

 

“No it is not funny, Gandalf.” She pointed at the cat aggressively, “I am arguing with a cat. Mother Mary of all that is good and holy I have gone insane.” The draft from the window gave her a vicious shiver and she rushed to close it. When she arrived at the window, she had an almost irresistible desire just to jump. Not it a ‘I want to die’ sort of way, she just wanted to fly. But the urge to live another day overpowered her want to fly, and she closed the window shut. As she did so the glass caught her reflection and showed her what she looked like.

 

“Yeesh….” She then moved herself to the bathroom, knowing the place Tony was going to take her was going to be at the least awe-inspiring she would have to clean herself up a bit. She rummaged through her bag on the far left side of the couch, looking for her good hair and skin products and headed off to the bathroom. She looked at the time on the table she had brought into the bathroom, “Well I got about four-ish hours to mess around, might as well make myself look as grand as the place that Stark is probably going to take me to.”

 

Tap. Tap. Tap.

 

“Who could it be now?” She rolled her eyes and moved to the door and looked through the peephole, “Just room service.” she muttered while opening the door and smiling.

 

“Good afternoon, Miss.” he put forward a dress bag attached to a hanger that dangled from him fingers and a number of jewelry boxes that were balanced atop a shoebox, “Mr. Stark wanted me to deliver this to you.” She took the box from his arms,

 

“Thank-you.” she took her wallet from the table by the door and pulled out a five and gave it to him, “Have a good evening.” She smiled once more and eased the door closed,

 

“You as well Miss.” the man said before the door was completely closed. She took everything into the bedroom.

 

“That was awfully fast.” she said thinking about how Tony got this to her so fast. But knowing him he had this whole thing planned out. “Whatcha got for me this time Tony?” she unzipped the dress bag to see what was inside. The dress was gorgeous in every way, with gold patterns at the top swirling down to the bottom, fading into a gossamer fabric. It alluded to the style in the 1920s America, a time period where alcohol was illegal and in abundance. The women pushed the limits on society, and everything was bigger and brighter than before.

 

Marian opened the jewelry boxes to find matching pieces that Tony had gotten from Tiffany’s, as the Tiffany Blue of the boxes told her. The shoes matched the dress, and the heel on them was at least five inches. She took one of the heels in her hand and spun it around, thinking about how much her feet were going to hurt,

 

“The price of beauty is always pain.” She returned to the bathroom and began to prepare herself for the night. Starting with washing her hair, and skin. Before let her hair dry she took her hairbrush and the hotel blowdryer and while running the brush through her hair she blew the hot air while following the brush downwards. It would not straighten her hair, but it would keep her caramel curls from becoming too rully. She then dried every inch of her skin and took one of fresh robes left by room service, she then proceeded to ruffle through her makeup bag.

 

“What to do, what to do.” she stated, as she poured out the makeup bag. It’s contents splattered over the grey counter, she had collected a large collection of eye-shadows, lipsticks, brushes and assorted concealers, foundations, and powders. All of her options for what she could do would be overwhelming for some, but she knew exactly what she wanted to do. Using inspiration from the dress Stark had given to her, giving herself flawless skin, smokey eyes and deep red lips with a pronounced cupid bow, she took on the image of a flapper. She lifted her curls above her neck and secured them there with the pins she found in her makeup bag, then she tugged a bit of hair so that it seemed as if she had bangs that hung over her right eyebrow.  

 

Meow.

 

“Yeah, I know.” Marian smiled at her reflection, “Pretty good for a gal who only has one hand to work with.” She danced in the mirror swaying her hips. “Now time for a bra and panties, then I’ll sit around in those for an hour while wearing a few of those diamonds.” She decided out loud before dropping her robe and going to her bag and look for one a strapless bra and a pair of panties.

 

Finding a pair of panties were easy, but the bra made her have to shuffle through the entire bag before she found a nude strapless bar in one of the pockets. She wrapped it around her and clasped it around herself before plopping down on the couch and proceeding to watch Star Trek.

 

Meow.

 

“If you want to cuddle get up here.” she talked while patting her lap, Gandalf then jumped up without hesitation. She sucked in air through her teeth when Gandalf’s claws pierced her flesh as he landed on her thighs. “UGH! You dickbiscut.” she pulled the cat’s claws from her skin and tiny amounts of blood formed on her skin. Soon they would dry into reddish brown dots on her thighs.

 

Meow.

  
“You’re still a dickbiscut.” She scratched Gandalf’s chin. 


	23. Chapter 23

The sun had gone down and it was almost 8:30, Marian had grown both hungry and impatient. She spent the extra time fixing one of the hair accesories into her hair. In one of the boxes that she had left alone she found a clutch and filled it with the contents of her wallet, as well as the makeup she used, a pocket gun just in case, and a few other assorted items including her phone and keys.

 

“Come on Stark.” she grumbled while pacing in the small living room, then moved to the smaller bathroom by the kitchen. She touched up her lipstick when a soft rat-a-tap-tap fell on the door. “Who is it?” she called out in a sweet voice.

 

“It’s Dr. Banner.”

 

“Banner?” she whispered while putting her things back in her clutch and scampered over  to the door. Propping it open she looked to see Banner standing in a suit, “Why are you-”

 

“Tony sent me to get you. Apparently we are going out to dinner with him.”

 

“Well, we better get going. I am just famished.” She turned off the lights to the room and locked the door to her room, “Did Tony say where we are going?”

 

“No, but judging from your dress somewhere exclusive to the very rich.”

 

“Great.” Marian breathed, walking down the hallway to the elevator tapping the button. The doors slid open almost instantly. The ride was quick and quiet, the doors opened in the lobby to reveal Stark, dressed to the nines.

 

“I got a reservation. Well actually I called the chef, and he said just to walk in and he would have our meals ready. I got you the bacalao as your first course, read that you were allergic to scallops.”

 

“Why, such a gentleman.” Marian smiled, “Now, how are we getting’ there? Wherever that is.”

 

“I have a car.” he gestured outside the front doors, beyond the glass rested a red sports car with no back seat mind you.

 

“Who is gonna sit in the middle?”

 

“Since you are the smallest I vote for you to sit in the middle.”

 

“Or you could sit in the middle, Banner could sit in the passenger seat, and I could drive.” He opened the door for her, and shook his head as she slid in. The classic car, with a the stick placed further up than it would be in a modern car, so she had leg room.

 

“Hey where are you guys goin-” Steve had obviously gone for a late jog and caught them just as they were leaving, “Is that you Marian?” he squinted his eyes.

 

“Yeah,” she looked her slender arm around Stark’s arm as he slid in, “Tony’s taking me and the good doctor out to eat.” She smiled charmingly, and he smiled back.

 

“You look great. All of you. I hope you guys have a good night.” He waved his hand then went inside, not before taking a triple look back at Marian.  

 

“Lets go eat, if I don't get food I am not liable for any damage that I might do to random people’s faces and or body.”

 

“I concur, except for people I will tear the city apart once more.” Banner said.

 

“It would be a shame, they did a great job of cleaning up. I mean this street is cleaner than it has ever been, I’m pretty sure that you could eat off this street and not get some strange disease. Not at all like before, you didnt even want the bottom of your foot to touch this ground before.” The car engine purred like a kitten suddenly and thrusted forward.

 

“That was sudden.” Banner was still calm as a summer’s morning, “But strangely expected.” The car glided easily through the streets Marian enjoyed the air that ran over her cheekbones and through the small wisps of hair that she had purposely let hang loose.

 

“So how have you been doing?” Banner asked her while at a stop light, obviously alluding to her father.

 

“Fine, I’m good.”

 

“Are you sure?” he pressed.

 

“The truth is that I am fine, I know alot of people are going to ask me that now that my father is dead. My father’s line of work was bound to end in disaster, I have always been waiting for the day where I get a letter, or phone call, telling me that he is gone.” Stark floored it when the light turned from red to green.

 

“That is a strange outlook to have!” Banner shouted over the wind.

 

“It might seem so, but it has been this way all of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I am sad about his death, but after all the years of expecting it….I’ve just accepted it.” Her voice was a gentle breeze, sighing in sadness before fading away into the larger wind around her. Tony slammed on the brakes in front of a restaurant, Marian ground her heels into the flooring,

 

“We’re here.” Before Marian got out of the car she took a small mirror out of her clutch and fixed her hair and makeup. Banner left the door open for her for and took her hand when she offered it. The place didn't look as grand as she had expected, and only a few people seemed to be there.

 

“Is this where we are finally going to get to eat?” she asked as Tony slipped the valet a twenty.

 

“Yeah dollface, we will be eating on the second story, because it is closer to the bar.” She slipped arm around Tony’s and followed him into the doors of the restaurant. The building seemed rustic  to her and not at all special, but as soon as the reached the upstairs she understood what she got dressed up for. The room had a soft glow to it, a crystal chandelier loomed above them. Pristine white table cloths were draped over circular chairs, beautiful silver was laid out around china plates and lovely crystal glasses. She was soon pulled from the beauty of the place when she realized that many people were looking their way.

 

“Why are they looking at us?” she hissed into Banner’s ear.

 

“Just hope they are looking at Tony, and that they don't recognize us.”

 

“Monsieur Stark.” a French accented waiter came up to them, “Chef has told me of your arrival, we have arranged a table right this way.”  he walked towards a table that was in the center of all the other tables. As they moved the attention from almost everyone in the restaurant was on them, Marian brushed it off. She thought that they were just focused on Tony, he was after all a man who was not only a millionare that gave way to world peace, but a man who had just saved the city from becoming a nuclear wasteland.

 

“Madam.” the waiter pulled out a chair for her.

 

“Merci.” she thanked in his native tongue.

 

“You speak Français?”

 

“Barley any, but I picked up a bit while I lived in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.” He then gave a sharp nod, to her and turned to Tony.

 

“Your first course will prepared soon. I hope that you have a pleasant meal, should you need anything please call for me.” With a few more sharp movements the Frenchman turned away. Not even a second later a glass of fine Brandy was laid in front of Tony.  

“Pardon.” a female waiter spoke, “Might I take your drink orders.”

 

“Sparkling water, please.” Banner ordered.

 

“I’ll take a Boulevardier.” Marian smiled, “Please.” The waitress noded then moved away with a pep in her step. “If we came here for privacy, I don't think that we are going to get it.”

 

“It will be fine, all we are talking about is Mayra.”

 

“In such a public place?” Marian played with one of her dangling earrings that framed her flapperesque face.

 

“I couldn't think of a better place.” he said accepting another drink as Marian’s and Banner’s drinks arrived.   

 

“So what did you find out?” she sipped on her drink savoring the pognat taste, her silver eyes spied around the room looking for suspicious people.  

 

“You dont have to look around for spies. Trust me, they couldn't afford this place.” She then settled herself into her seat and allowed herself to breath.

 

“Are you going to tell me what is in the file or just sit there, like a fuckbucket?”

 

“I love it when you talk dirty, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.” He sipped on his drink, “Before we start, I would like to make sure that you want to know about this.”

 

“I’m sure.”

 

“Marian,” Banner began, “what we found could challenge your whole sense of self.”

 

“I’m sure.” her voice had become all the more stern and her body rigid, “Ever since, the incident in Calcutta, I have had no sense of self. This information is going to let me know what I need to do next.”

 

“Next? I thought you were going to go to a cabin in the woods.” Banner raised and eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, what are you planning. Are you going to track down who ever is responsible for all this secrecy and destroy them?”

 

“I cannot confirm or deny that.” she answered.

 

“That’s the government's way of saying yes.” Tony hit his fist slightly on the table. “Ahh here is our food.” he turned.

 

“Thank-you.” she smiled as she spilled a napkin over her legs then looke as the bacalao. The mixture of fish and avocado looked delightful to the eye. With the brace she was still able to move some of her fingers and was able to hook the avocado and fish onto the metal bits. It was a lovely melody of flavors that hit her tongue.

 

“Is it good?” Banner asked her as he was eating his oysters on the half-shell.

 

“Yes.” she smiled then tilted her head, “But not as delicious as the information that is in your two heads.”

 

“So is what you know, don't see us digging all about your head.” Stark complained.

 

“You promised.” her voice had turned soft, “Please Stark. I need to know.”

 

“Its simple. They don't know what you are.”

 

“They?”

 

“SHIELD. They don't know, there is no human DNA located in your body.”

 

“Then where did I come from?”

 

“They don't know, you just sort-of appeared. You were found in an enemy’s laboratory when you were a baby and they just gave you to Coulson to raise.”

 

“I’m going to be sick.”

 

“Don't you are throw up that bacalao.” he grabbed a waitresses arm, “Can we get a ginger ale for my lovely friend.” the waitress nodded to him then rushed to get the drink. “Listen, I’m serious about that bacalao.” he looked at her sternly.

 

“So what am I. I didn't just fall out of the sky.” her wild eyes found him, “Tell me that I wasnt made in a test tube. Please tell me.”

 

“I don't know. From what was in the file, they don't know. You're a bit of a mystery you know.” he leaned forward, “A woman with a mysterious past always gets me.”

 

“Like Natasha did?” Marian lifted her right brow as she layed down her fork. Banner snorted and looked down to his lap.

 

“Really Doctor?”

 

“Sorry.” Banner mumbled and returned to his oysters.

 

“Miss.” the waitress had returned with a glass of ginger ale.

 

“Thank-you.” she took it from the girls hand and immediately pressed it to her lips, “I hope I wasn't in a tube.”

 

“But, knowing SHIELD, a discovery as big as you would not be stored on a computer. They probably have a highly guarded facility where they keep paper copies of secrets that are too sensitive to be left unprotected on a server. You know dangers of hacking and all.” he smirked and leaned forward, “Am I right?” Marian set her glass down on the table and made her body straight.

 

“I cannot confir-”

 

“Confirm or deny, I know, I know.” he smiled and in a way squealed, “Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. A room full of secrets. Heavily guarded secrets, but still. I’m so giddy.”

 

“I am so happy that you are giddy, while I found out that I am---what the hell am I?” she tilted her head.

 

“Pardon.” the waiter was back again, “May I present your second courses.”

 

“Yes please do.” Stark said as a gaggle of waitresses took their plates away.

 

“The chef has prepared a special rack of lamb for you, and your companions, Mr. Stark.” The plates were placed in front of them in amazing synchronization. “It has been paired with a fine red wine, from Italy.” Stark and Marian flipped their glasses while Banner left his turned over, and the waiter filled the two upturned glasses with a rich red liquid. “Enjoy.” he seemed to bow away from the table, leaving the wine on the table. Marian looked down at the small bit of meat on the plate with a side a mint jelly. Her stomach turned but she knew that she could eat it if she did not chew too much.

 

“So are we just going to sit here in awkward silence-”

 

“Yes.” her silver eyes framed by dark makeup flashed to his. She sipped on her wine and stomached the meat and mint jelly, while Stark greedily gulped his wine. He wanted to talk more she could tell, but she was in no mood. Her mind had been bombarded with these things that he had found, then again he could be lying. But why would he? He had little to no alignment with SHIELD. Marian looked at him skeptically. “I’m  sorry Tony. I shouldn’t have acted that way, I’m just…..” her words had left her.

 

“It’s fine, your father has just passed. You don't know who the hell you truly are.”

 

“Well I know who I am, I just don't know what.”

 

“Isnt know what you are a part of who you are?” Banner seemed to ponder out loud, and though it seemed as if he were talking to himself Marian made to respond,

 

“I-”

 

“Mr. Stark!” a voice called from right out behind her. She had not heard anyone come up from behind her, which was unusual for her when she often had sharp ears. “Hello, it is so lovely to see you here again.” the man had come around from behind her, judging from his clothing she assumed that he was the head Chef. He was quite the looker as well, he was a middle-aged gentleman with silver hair.

 

‘Ohhh a silver fox.’ Marian thought in her head.

 

“Who is the lovely lady? Your girlfriend?” The chef asked.

 

“No.” Marian answered for Tony.

 

“Just give me a chance baby.” said Tony.

 

“You couldn't afford me.” she gave the same answer that he once gave to Director Fury and his eyes narrowed while a smirk grew on his face. The chef offered his hand out to her for a handshake and she took it while flipping a switch inside of her, “I am Marian, and might I just ask if you are the one who has cooked this decadent food?”

 

“I am Chef Jason Winchester, and you might ask and you would be correct. I am the handsome man who has cook this food.”

 

“I never asked if you were handsome.”

“You didnt?”

 

“Why would I? When the handsome answer is standing right infront of me.” She smiled and her turned over her hand that he was shaking to kiss the back of it.

 

“You do look very famil- I know where I have seen you now?”

 

“Really?” she asked hoping that he would not say on the television. She thought that with the makeup and jewels that she was wearing she would look unidentifiable. “May I ask perhaps where you have seen me.”

 

“On the cover of Vogue.” he smiled.

 

“You are quite the charmer.”

 

“I like to think so.” he turned back to Stark who was giving Marian quite the impressive evil eye, “So what is with all this business down in Manhattan? Flying monsters and such falling from the sky.”

 

“I don't know what to tell you about that, in fact I don't think I should actually talk about it at all. Soon there will be press release I assure you, but until then I’m not going to say anything.”

 

“Well that’s fine and all I suppose, just perhaps stay away from Manhattan next time. You’re destroying my business.” He turned to Marian, “Now would you like some dessert?”

 

“Oh no, I seem to have the appetite of a bird right now.”   

 

“Well someone as sweet as you doesn't need anymore sugar.” She laughed seductively and took a sip of her wine while looking into the Chef’s eyes, “I should be getting back to the kitchen, it might just fall apart if I am gone for too long. Have a good evening.” While he was talking his eyes never left Marian’s seductive smize.

 

“Keep it in your pants Marian.”

 

“Why should I?” she returned her appearance back from that of a flirting girl to that of a stern woman, “Besides, hes not my type.”

 

“He seems like your type.”

 

“And just what is my type?”

 

“Everyone, it would seem.” Banner sipped on his sparkling water, “Nothing wrong with that though.”

“Of course there isn't.” Tony promptly said, “I am a firm believer that a woman can do anything a man can do. That includes sleeping with anyone they wish, as long as it is consensual and a third party is not getting emotionally damaged over it.”

 

“Well I have to correct you, everyone isn't my type. Tony for example,

 

“I don't know about you two, but I really want to go to this bar that I know and drink till the cows come home.”

 

“Done.” Marian placed her wine glass down on the table, “We’ll take care of each other when the impending hangover comes and together hope our deaths come soon.”

 

“Amen, what about you Banner. I’m not really a drinker anymore, I could lose control. Besides, I’m a bit tired.”

 

“Do you mind driving us to the bar and then taking the car back to the hotel?”

 

“How will you get back to the hotel?”

 

“We’ll take a cab, or depending on the time just call one of you guys. Most likely Rogers, just to annoy him.”

 

“Okay, I’ll take the car.” he reached his hand out with the palm up, “Keys?”

 

“Here you are.” Tony laid the keys in Banner’s hand, “Take good care of her. Now let me just pay this bill and we'll be off.”

 

“I would drink to that, but,” she gestured to her two empty glasses, “no drink.” Tony pulled his wallet from his breast pocket and made eye contact with their server. She grabbed a little leather book with the check inside, along with a pen. Laid it on a table and Stark placed his card in between the leather covers then sent her off. She returned in a second, with the card and check. Tony signed his name on the dotted line while leaving a generous tip then stood up.

  
“Lets go get drunk.” Stark pulled out her a chair a bit, while smirking. She stood to her full height with ease, “I did not think those heels through.”


	24. Chapter 24

"Stop here." Tony ordered in the middle of a dark part of Brooklyn.

"Ummm... Tony, I don't think that there is a bar around here. At least, not one that is suited to what I am wearing."

"I know a guy."

"The last time I heard that I wound up being tied to a chair in Libya."

"How- nevermind." he slid out from the car and helped her along, "Have a good night Bruce." he waved his hand and drove off. "Come on." Tony started to walk down the dimly lit street with a fast pace, Marian picked up her dress so that it would not get soiled by the ground and her legs would not be restrained by the dress. Tony then stopped in front of a narrow alley, and waited for her.

"Where is the guy? Down the alley?" she sarcastically said.

"Actually-" he did not even finish his sentence before sliding into the alley, Marian saw that she had little choice but to follow, she turned her body sideways and went shoulder first. There was a brick wall in front of her, and a smooth stone wall behind her, what was beneath her was something that she did not want to know. To keep the bottom of her dress safe from what was below her she hiked up her skirt to her upper thigh. Looking ahead, a dull light shone out from the end of the alley where Tony had already reached and marian would soon reach in less than a second.

When she emerged out of the alley and into the light she eagerly spied about. The alley had led to a small enclosed area with a door on one side that had a rather large man of Vietnamese descent.

"Mr. Stark," he greeted them happily, "I have not seen you in a while."

"I've been busy."

"Yeah, I saw. The whole business in Manhattan, I mean." the man looked to Marian, "I saw you on the news too. You were the other chick that was fighting, the uh. What have they been calling you-ummm." he looked her up and down while snapping his fingers trying to recall the name, "The Mercury Maiden, thats it."

"Ha!" Tony pointed at her, "That is a brilliant name, I love that name." She turned to him with a clenched jaw and hit him with her clutch.

"I don't know how, but you are behind this."

"I liked the name." the bouncer intervened, "Anyhow, please come in." he opened the doors.

"You sure theres room?" Tony asked.

"Theres always room for the heros of New York." He stood aside allowing them to pass by him, "Enjoy." Marian walked slightly ahead of Tony, still a bit upset about the whole name thing. She was sure that he was behind it, who else could come up with such a preposterous name.

As she walked in she was slightly taken aback by what laid ahead of her feet. For about three stories there were bookshelves wall to wall, all completely filled. The main floor had an assortment of chairs, most of which were centered around small coffee tables. It had an assortment of people sitting about laughing and talking, all drinking out of tea cups.

"Wow, this is different."

"I thought that you would like it." He led her to a set of stairs and began a fast paced walk up.

"What is this place and. No not even what is this place, just….What?" The doors eased close behind them.

"It was an old Speakeasy in the prohibition era." He found

"What about the tea cups?"

"Whenever the feds, would try to crack down on this place they would come in and see a bunch of people with tea cups. The drinkers would just say that they were drinking tea and reading books. Quite clever actually."

"How did you find this place?"

"I-My father and grandfather used to come here. Kind-of a generational handout." He had led her to a small coffee table on the third floor. Tony took the small chair opposite the small couch that had a small curve in it to go around the circular coffee table. They were close to a chandelier that she had not noticed at first, because she had been entranced by all of the strangeness that was about her. When she sat down she imbibed it all in. Every small detail, every echo of a voice. She read every detail of the place, like a beloved book.

"Mr. Stark." a waitress came over, "What might I get you and your companion tonight."

"I'll take a Martini."

"Do you serve Rob Roys?"

"Yes Maiden, I mean Miss." she looked at the brace on Marian's arm, "Your drinks will be with you momentarily." Marian craned her neck about to watch the waiter walk away.

"She's cute."

"Not really my type. Too shy and quiet."

"Yeah but it is the quite ones that you have to watch out for." Her red lips arranged themselves into a wicked smirk. The girl came back with two small teacups on a small try, she laid them on the table. Marian watched her face trying to make eye contact, but the young woman seemed nervous and went out of her way to hide her face.

"Have a good evening, Mr. Stark. Miss, call me." the girl turned a slight red, "If you need me. Anything, from me. I- if either of you need anything please call me over." She then scampered away again.

"Think I have a chance?"

"Please, she was just nervous because of me."

"You?"

"She has two options. A) The handsome millionaire who has just saved the city by flying a missile into a hole in the sky, or B) the-"

"Incredibly sexy woman, who may not have money but can still give her the most memorable night of her life."

"I was going to say alien." He took his drink up to his mouth and took a big gulp. She looked down to her Rob Roy, and saw the cherry on the bottom. Two of her long fingers reached down and grabbed it by the stem.

"If you get the waitress I get Pepper." Her dropped the cherry on her tongue and moved it to her back molars then chomped down. Tony rolled his eyes, "Also, I'm not an alien." she protested his remark.

"The definition of alien is something not of this world. Er-go, since you are not like any other being on this world you can be classified as an alien. Or as I like to call you, Mercury Maiden."

"You win this time Stark." she tipped her tea cup to her lips and spilled the strong drink over the soft insides of her mouth.

"This time? I win everytime."

"Even when in an argument with Pepper?"

"I don't like this anymore." he gulped his drink as a jazz band took seat on the bottom floor. Marian looked over the railing next to them. The slow melodic saxaphone came in with the constant thumping of a Bass in the background keeping tempo. Then, bang the trumpet jumped in and took the melody to a wild place, next the saxophone came in to dance with the others.

"Its lovely, don't you think?"

"The music is fine and all, but usually my tastes lean more towards Clapton." She censored his voice out as he continued on, and fazed in every single note that she could get from the complex improve of the group.

"So this is where you have been hiding out?" a woman's stern voice questioned, taking the musical bliss away from her, so she snapped her head to the source of the new sound. Along with the new voice a new drink had appeared on the coffee table. The woman who was talking had sat down on the couch beside her.

"Miss. Potts?" Marian questioned only to receive a look from Pepper, "You hired me once."

"I fired you once too, only to see you fighting alongside this one," she pointed to Tony, "who then flew a missile into a hole that let to outer space."

"Yeah, Director Fury wanted me somewhere else. Thought it would be better if I just looked like a screw up than just quitting what some would see as a dream job."

"Wha-"

"I should leave you two alone. It seems that you both have a lot to discuss." She took her tea cup full of a fresh Rob Roy and her clutch under her arm.

"You don't have to leave." Tony said panicky obviously not prepared for an argument with Pepper.

"I'm not leaving completely. I'll be on the floor, there appear to be a few empty seats near the jazz band. Men who play instruments always get me, if you need me I will be down there." she moved her eyebrows in the direction of the railing. "Let me know it that waitress asks about me."

* * *

Walking down the stairs, Marian felt a feeling of disparity on her face. The fast paced music had given away to a slow saxaphone solo, she observed the people of the place for the first time. Some were dressed to the nines as she was, others seemed as if they had just gotten off of work. They all seemed to know who she was, their turning heads told her that. Still, she ignored them, not caring what they thought or how much they wanted to meet her or even if they idolized her and hailed her a hero.

There was an empty table to the left of the band, her eyes were deadly as she advanced to the seat angled perfectly to the band. When she reached the table she saw that books had been left splayed over the table. She sat down, placing bother her cup and clutch on the table and began to shuffle through the books.

"All Quiet On the Western Front." she let the title of one of the books before peeling open the paper cover and reading the black letters. A long time passed before she turned her gaze from the pages to look at the band. What turned her gaze was the ending of the jazz music, they had obviously finished their set, and she had almost finished her book. Her drink had remained untouched, and her eyes had a dull ache behind them. As the band members pack away, Marian's eyes slipped to the third floor where Tony and Pepper had obviously just made up and were having a more than intimate conversation. Marian moved her gaze away feeling embarrassed after seeing the way they looked at eachother.

She had never been one for intimacy, it made her uncomfortable and she was more likely to sleep with someone rather than commit. There was nothing wrong with that, it was just who she was and she had no intention of changing for anyone else because she was happy the way she did things.

While she sat there for a while the book resting in her lap she thought of what she was. Where she came from, if she was an alien or just a science experiment.

' _Hey,'_ she thought, ' _if i'm a science experiment, i'm still pretty cool. If i'm an alien, that pretty cool too. What isnt cool is god knows who keeping this from me.'_

"Marian." a hand grasped her shoulder making her jump violently, causing the book to fall from her lap.

"Oh, Clinton. Its just you." she laid her hand on her heart and he bent down to pick up the book then laid it down in her lap. She looked at both of his ears, and saw a small device just barely sticking out of his ear hole. That little device let her know that he could hear every word that she was going to say, which was going to make their conversation easier, even though it looked a bit uncomfortable for him. And she knew that it was he had often told her that he hated how it fitted in his ear. "Why are you here?"

"I have been thinking."

"And I've been drinking." she sang a little bit, he smiled a bit and looked down at the ground as he sat in the chair across from her. "What have you been thinking about?"

"Us." she immediately became uncomfortable with this statement and shifted herself in to a stiff rigid from.

"I don't know what you mean?"

"Yes you do. I have developed feelings."

"I've noticed." she looked down away from him, "I don't, I cant-"

"Share them, I know." She reached for her cup, when it was in her hand she quickly raised it to her mouth but before the liquid could pass her ruby lips a hand took the cup away from her and replaced it with his hand. "I have decided that-that tomorrow we are just colleagues."

"Colleagues?"

"You know-no more."

"I got that." she snapped, trying to be kind. His feelings were genuine.

"Besides you not sharing my feelings, there is the age difference."

"You think that matters?"

"It feels like I am taking advantage of you a bit."

"You're not. It was my choice, if anything it was me that pressured you." She took back her hand and leaned lazily back into her chair. "What about before tomorrow?"

"Pardon?"

"Tomorrow we will be colleagues, and tonight…."

"Tonight we can be whatever you want." he gave her a smile and she took his hand once more.

"Lovers?"

"Lovers." he let his lips graze her knuckles.

"Lets be outta here then." she stood tall and swaggered to the door with him in tow. Within her heart she was a bit saddened, she did not love him but she did enjoy their time together. He deserved better than her, the detached shell of love that she could offer was nothing compared to what a normal person could give to him. When she realized this she was happy for him, and sad for herself but never bitter.

 


	25. Chapter 25

Lustful actions fizzled away, leaving Clint and Marian laying on their sides looking at eachother. It was a simple thing, to just look. For Marian it was something pleasing to do, Clint had a handsome face. Clint, he liked to look at her because he cared for her and this was the last time he was going to be able to do so. Tomorrow she would be just a colleague.

 

“Clint?” she asked knowing that at the moment he could hear her, having not removed the uncomfortable super power hearing aid.

 

“Yes.” he mumbled.

 

“What now?”

 

“Now?” he laid his lips on her collarbone, “Now you can stay until the morning.” he put his lips sweetly to hers. “Or you can leave as you usually do.” He breathed then laid his head on her chest pulling her close. She saw this is a plea for her to stay, but she knew that would only fuel the passion that he felt for her.

 

“I should go.” He flopped over to his back.

 

“Yes, of course.” He watched her dress and shuffle with her jewelry, she managed quite well for having a braced hand.  Her hair and makeup were a bit out of order, but that didn't matter since she was just going back to her room. “There's uh-” he sat up, “this woman, that I think that I like.”

 

“What is her name.”

 

“Laura.”

 

“Think that she has a chance of becoming Mrs. Barton?”  She turned, “Laura Barton, has a ring to it.”

 

“I've only talked to her a couple of times.”

 

“They say that when you find the right one that you will know.” her shoulders shrugged involuntarily, before gliding to the door, “Clinton, it was fun while it lasted.”

 

“Yeah, it was.” he laughed, “You sure you don't want to stay?” This, as Marian could tell, was a ploy to have one more moment with her. But it was best to cauterized the wound now than let it bleed and fester.

 

“Goodnight Agent.” Quickly she closed the door shut leaving him alone as she usually did. This would be the last time that he would have to forgive her for leaving him alone. She knew that she could forgive him for this, but not for keeping things from her.

 

Loki had spoken about the things that Clint had told him. He knew all along that someone was hiding something from her, something that he knew about but withheld from her. In this way, Clint was just as bad as Loki, who had kept things from her. How he murdered her father, for instance, then slept with her and lacked remorse. Clint had hidden things from her, not as sever as him murdering someone that she cared for, but she did not forgive any indiscretion easily.

 

She had thought of asking him about what he knew, thinking it back over though he would be more than reluctant to share. Even if he did tell her, his next step would be to alert SHIELD and tell them that she had caught on. What they would do to her if they found out was inconceivable. The leaders of SHIELD would most likely just lock her away in some lab, to be poked and prodded. Or they would let her continue on her way after she discovered the truth, no one had tried to contain her yet.

 

Still they were hiding something, Stark gave the proof to it. Knowing that she was not human was life changing, at least she supposed. She felt the same, and was not too distraught over the matter now that it had time to simmer in her brain.

 

Her room had been visited by room service it would seem, they had laid out the boxes that were cast on her bed in the closet very neatly. With great care she took off every bit of jewelry and placed it securely down into the Tiffany boxes. Tony would probably want the diamonds that he had lent her back, as well as the dress.

 

After stripping down and changing into a tank top with silken shorts and a long silk robe, she took a makeup wipe and began to wash the makeup from her face. Her lips turned back to a pale pink and her eyelashes back to a light brown, then her skin back to being imperfect. Then she washed her face with a gentle scrub, moisturized and finally brushed her teeth.  Next she took her hair down and ran a brush through water then began to pull through her thick curls, they had become quite unruly since the beginning of the night. Quickly, after finding her hair could not be reasoned with and to save her scalp, she gathered up all her hair and tied it in a bun that hung just above her neck.

 

She then laid in the dark on the couch for a while trying to find sleep. But sleep did not want to be found. Her mind was plagued by so many things, her father’s death was one of them, then there was the issue of her curiosity. The tantalizing mystery that she herself was, and the only move that she could think of making at the moment was to disappear. Get off the grid and hide away till she was presumed dead, then she could get to the address her father had snuck to her.

 

“That wouldn't work.” she groaned to herself.

 

“Meow.” Gandalf had found her

 

“Hey baby.” she lifted the feline from the ground and placed him on her stomach. When she placed him there he began to go in circles finding a comfortable place to rest, “Owww.” she restrained the feline, “Can you please go out of your way to not step on my boob with your full body weight?”

 

“Meow.”

 

“Of course you can't.” Marian narrowed her eyes at Gandalf, “Ass.”

 

“Meow.”

 

“I am not.” she looked around the room, “And now the person who bugged this room now knows that I talk to my cat like he is a human being. Fuck.” A sharp quick breath was pushed out of her nose as she took a deep breath then let her rib cage slam down.  That clever mind of hers moved back to topics of more serious matters. Her mind turned back to the more serious things in her life, which did not include multiple people knowing that she was an insane catwoman or that her cat had just stepped on her tit.

 

The questions that she wanted answered could not be answered by Stark. Loki could answer them, but her skin still crawled when she thought of him. His touch still lingered, making her sick and still she felt compelled to see him. To beg for the answers.

 

 _‘No!’_  her mind wailed at her,  _‘You can do this yourself, just like your father taught you.’_ Throwing herself to her feet she marched to the closet, where her bag was cast on the floor. After digging through it she found a rather bag that had multiple prescription pills inside. She then got a glass of water and  went into the bedroom and shed her robe and crawled into the fresh sheets after placing the glass and bag on the side table. Spilling the contents of the bag on the blanket in front of her after turning on the light, she shuffled through the bag, searching for something that could put her to sleep.

 

“Maybe I could find that medic again.” she murmured picking up a bottle. “Eszopiclone. Lets try that.”

 

“Meow.” Gandalf jumped on to the white sheets.

  
“Yes I’m sure!” she shoved the bottles back into the bag, and quickly unscrewed the bottle of eszopiclone then shook out two of the pills. “Bottoms up.” she swallowed the pills with a giant gulp of water. The troubles that had plagued her seemed to float away as she laid on the silky sheets. She yawned causing her toes to curl, “Bye, bye problems see you soon.”


	26. Chapter 26

It had been six days since the Battle of New York and Avengers assembled one last time and gathered in central park. It was a bright day, and the streets had been sweeped, the rubble cleared. Thor was going to take his step-brother Loki back to Asgard to face justice. Marian had decided to ride along with Bruce and Tony.

 

Tony had upgraded his car to something none the less shiny, but all the more new. It only had two seats in the front so she had to prop herself on the back end of the car with her legs in the front. As he drove her hair whipped wildly, the freshly straightened strands gave her a new look and she hopped that it would help set her apart from her new identity as the Mercury Maiden.

 

“You good?” Stark asked at a light that had just turned green, and Marian slid on her tinted hippie glasses over her nose.

 

“I’m guchi, just go.” His foot slammed onto the gas, and the red sports car jumped into action. Marian opened her hands to the wind feeling freedom, Stark started playing Fortunate Son on the car stereo.

 

_‘Some folks are born, made to wave the flag_

_Ooh, they're red, white and blue_

_And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief"_

_Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord_

_It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son_

_It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no_

_Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand...’_

 

As Steve drove by on a motorcycle he caught wind of the lyrics and his face warped a bit before he sped up ahead of the car. To get closer to the armoured truck that held Loki, who was being guarded by his step brother while SHIELD agents drove the truck. Behind them Clint and Natasha were moving along in a black car, Marian turned her head a bit and caught sight of Clint. She let her gaze linger for a moment before snapping her sight back to what was in front of her. Their path was not long, and they were soon at their destination.

 

Thor was the first one out of the trunk and marched straight around to the back to open the double doors to retrieve Loki. Before Thor could take Loki from the truck, he was joined by the rest of the Avengers who angrily looked upon Loki as he exited the truck. His mouth was muzzled, and his hands were in loose chains. Clint slammed the truck doors shut, then hit its left side and the truck then sped away.

 

Tony handed Thor a strange capsule with the Tesseract inside, on either side of the capsule there were handles. Thor walked Loki over to a circular area with the whole lot of them following. Thor left for a moment to say goodbye to his new friends. Marian was the last one he said goodbye to.

 

“Daughter of Phil.” he grasped her arm, “I am so sorry for all the pain that has been caused to you, your father was a great man. And you are an honorable woman, I hope to see you again in the future. Farwell.” She looked up to him and smiled then opened her arms to him,

 

“Come here you giant.” he leaned down to embrace her as a companion, “Goodbye.” she kissed him on the cheek then pulled back, “Perhaps one day we’ll all visit you.” she teased.

 

“Perhaps, human visitations on Asgard have not happened in my lifetime.”

 

“But how old are you?”

 

“Over a thousand earth years.”

 

“I hope that I look as good as you when I am that old.” Marian said wide eyed.

 

“I’m sure that you shall always be lovely.” he hit her on the shoulder tipping her a bit, “Farwell.” he walked back to Loki and stood in the center with Loki, who was giving them all the evil eye. Yet when he turned to Marian his eyes fill not with fury, but with pity. And Marian knew what pity looked like, and she had not expected pity from such a person. Maybe he pitied her because he related to her, and she understood this as well. She pitied him too, knowing that they were parallels headed in opposite directions. Thor held out the opposite handle of the tesseract containing capsule, prompting Loki to take the opposite side. As his hand firmly grasped the side he looked down in shame, Thor gave a sharp nod to his friends then twisted the side of the handle. Blue energy flared around the two extraterrestrials, taking them away to their home.

 

“It’s all over now. Isn't it?” Marian’s mouth moved without speaking.

 

“Yes.And thank-god for that.” Steve stood on her right and moved so that his left hand was on her left shoulder. “Gonna go get that cabin?”

 

“Yeah. What about you.”

 

“I’m gonna catch up on my history.”

 

“I could help you with that. I got my degree in history with a minor in German.”

 

“Thank You, Miss, but there are some things that I’ve got to do on my own. And besides, you have other things to do.” Marian opened her arms to him as she had done with Thor.

 

“Goodbye.” he laughed a bit, she could tell. “Treat yourself well.”

 

“Same goes for you Mercury Maiden.” he pulled away then went to go say goodbye to the rest.

 

“Natasha.” Marian smiled, “Where are you off to?”

 

“Clint and I are going to the closest SHIELD base outside of the city.” she looked her up and down, “What are you going to do?”

 

“Pal around with Stark for the next two days. Then I got a flight to India.”

 

“India? Why are you going there?” Clint butted in.

 

“Its warm. And I like the food, the color.” Natasha opened the back of her trunk and pulled out a bag. “What is that?”

 

“Banner’s bag. He left it in the lab and it took a while for them to notice that it was in there.” She looked over to Bruce and smiled before going to him.

 

“How have you been?” Clint asked.

 

“I’m fine.” her brow pressed together.

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yes. Do I look like I’m not fine?”

 

“People who aren't fine always look like they are fine.” he pulled his hand out of his jacket pocket with a pill bottle in hand, “Found these.”

 

“I have a prescription.”

 

“And a bag full of other prescribed medication.”

 

“Can you just sod off? I’m going to the doctor to get different pills that will help me sleep better.” she snatched the bottle back, “None have been working very well.”

 

“I’m worried about you.”

 

“It is so nice that you are so worried about a colleague.” With his lips parted, his eyes squinted, and his head slightly tilted, Marian knew that she had won this round.     

 

“I-”

 

“Clint, it’s time to go.” Natasha opened the driver's seat then brought the car to life, Clint rushed to the passenger door and watched Marian practically dance away to Tony’s car.  On her way she waved to Steve and smiled, after which she returned to her original seat. Tony and Bruce did not bother with opening the car doors, they both just simply jumped over the closed door. The large bag that Bruce was carrying hit her slightly on the legs.

 

“Is it legal for me to sit like this?”

 

“Do you really think that the police are going to stop you, Banner, or me and complain how a master ninja woman is sitting in a car.”

 

“When you put it like that.” her shoulders moved a bit, “No. Not really.”

 

“There is your answer. The way you are sitting is not illegal.” He started the car making it jump into action.

 

“Where are we going?” Bruce asked.

 

“Back to the hotel for you two. Then I am going to go to my tower, begin fixing her up.”

 

“Pepper is there, isnt she?” Marian asked.

 

“Yes she is.” Tony grinned as he spun around the corner to the hotel. “You two should stop by in about an hour.” he nodded, “Three hours. Four.” he then reasoned after thinking over what him and Pepper were going to be doing.

 

“I should get to packing.” Marian breathed.

 

“You can't leave yet.” Tony objected, “I want to run some tests.”

 

“I am not letting you experiment on me.”

 

“Just stay for a week or two.”

 

“Or, just suggesting here, I don't stay. I get on that flight to India in two days and perhaps never see you again.”

 

“Hurtful.” He gave her an evil eye through his sunglasses, “I could help you figure out what you are. At least leave me a blood sample and a phone number.”

 

“Why are you so curious?”

 

“I’m a curious guy.”

 

“Also a scientist who is a naturally curious guy.” she shrugged.

 

“Sorry to damper the mood, but when is the funeral for your father?” Banner asked lowering the radio.

 

“Tomorrow.”

 

“You weren't going to invite us?”

 

“It’s going to be awkward.” she slouched, “I hate these sort of things. Telling me how great a man he was, and father. Distant,” she made quote marks in the air, “relatives,” she lowered her fingers, “Who have hated me ever since they saw my face and realized that I was the butting into their precious inheritance.”  

 

“Awkward family time is the best, reminds me of my parents.” Tony spoke nostalgically.

 

“His girlfriend is also going to be there.”

 

“Girlfriend?” Bruce questioned.

 

“Phil’s. My dads.”

 

“He had a lady friend?”

 

“She plays the cello. Agent Hill told me that she was going to be there. I have never met her and she is going to want to see me.”

 

“I don't see what is wrong with that?”

 

“My normal people skills are rusty.”

 

“You seemed pretty smooth with that Chef the other night.”

 

“I can't be smooth with my dead father’s lady friend.”

 

“Well you could be, you just really shouldn't be.” He skidded to a stop in front of the hotel, “Get out, I got my own lady friend to see.”

 

“Have fun.” Marian teased.

 

“Remember, come over in four hours. I expect you to have all the information about the funeral with you.” he pointed as he drove away.

 

“He seem a bit unhinged to you?” Marian asked Bruce.

 

“I can hear you!” Tony shouted then reversed the car, before he could get to his original position Marian and Bruce had gone inside.

 

“He does seem a bit unhinged. No one in our little team could be considered completely sane though.”

 

“That is a valid point.” She tapped the elevator button with her left pointer finger, “Do you have the time?”

 

“11:24.”

 

“So in about four hours do you want to go over to Tony’s with me?”

 

“Sure, but I say we give it five hours. I honestly don't want to walk into whatever he likes to do.”

 

“Another valid point.” Marian fake shivered, “That is a side of Tony that I hope to never see.”

 

“Do you know if Colonel Rhodes is still here.”

 

“Rhodey? Nah, he left to go do….I don't really know why he left.” She gestured a bit, “I was drunk.” Which made Bruce shake his head and laugh in disapproval.

 

“What about your arm? You know when the brace is coming off?”

 

“I didn't bother asking. And, you can't forget that I was drugged.”

 

“What did they give you?”

 

“Who knows. All I know is that I miss it.”

 

“Trouble sleeping.”

 

“Yeah, I’ve got a whole bag of medication and no combination of it is knocking me out.” She smirked, “Maybe I could get Loki to hit me again.”

 

“You're gonna have to travel a bit.”  

 

“A good night's sleep would be worth it.” The doors parted on Banner’s floor.

 

“Want me to take a look at that?”

 

“Sure.” she agreed, stretching her leg out of the door before awkwardly letting the other follow in a strange manner.

 

“How old are you again?” Bruce asked after he had observed her awkwardly childish behavior.

 

“How old do you think I am?”

 

“Nineteen, twenty.”

 

“I was drinking in front of you. In public.” He stopped in front of a door and pulled out his keys.

 

“Plenty people who are underaged drink.”

 

“That is actually very true. When I was fourteen-” he turned his head and with a fatherly disapproval look upon his face silenced her, “Never mind.” he pushed open the door and guided her in.

 

“How old?” he asked again.

 

“Twenty-three.”

 

“You seem much younger.”

 

“Will you still tell me that when I'm old and no one loves me anymore?”

 

“Sure.You can sit on the couch, and take off the brace.” As she walked, pulling at the velcro straps of the brace, Bruce dug through his duffel bag for his small medical kit. As soon as it was in his hand he came and sat beside Marian. He took her hand and examined the fingers and began to feel at the bone beneath her flesh. Making them bend back and fourth,

 

“They seem to be fine to me.” He said, “Perhaps a little bruised, but I don't think that you will need that brace for much longer. Must be a quick healer.”

 

“I’ve always been that way.” waving around the brace in her left hand, “I don't need this anymore, right?”

 

“You do not.” he took it away from her and laid it on the table. Marian began to flex the fingers on her right hand then formed it into a fist and thrusted it in front of her, mocking a fight. She smirked then said,

 

“I’m back baby.”  

 


End file.
